staring

American  

[stair-ing] / ˈstɛər ɪŋ /

adjective

1. gazing fixedly and intently, especially with the eyes wide open.

   Standing in front of Jane’s staring face, Ravi lifted the conch shell above his head and smashed it into a hundred pieces on the floor.

2. boldly, inescapably, or obnoxiously conspicuous; glaring.

   Whenever I dwell on my own shortcomings, they begin to seem mild and harmless, not at all like the staring defects in other people's characters.

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adverb

1. Chiefly British. glaringly or conspicuously; thoroughly (often preceded bystark ).

   This "borrow and spend" policy is stark staring bonkers.

Other Word Forms

• staringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of staring

star(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

For example, that scene where Robert goes up to the window and realizes he’s staring at a man walking on the moon and he’s looking up at the sky, wondering, “How is that even possible?”

From Los Angeles Times

I’m in my second year teaching high-school English, and I don’t know how much longer I can pretend students sitting under LED lights while staring at screens is normal.

From The Wall Street Journal

And so here we are, staring at a world of injustice, which, according to Marcus Aurelius, “lies in what you aren’t doing, not only in what you are doing.”

From Salon

How many realize that staring at screens all day can make kids literally shortsighted?

From The Wall Street Journal

Defeat would mean a new year in Sydney staring down the barrel of a 5-0.

From BBC