stare
Americanverb (used without object)
-
stares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stared,
past participle, past
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staring
present participle
-
to gaze fixedly and intently, especially with the eyes wide open.
-
to be boldly or obtrusively conspicuous.
The bright modern painting stares out at you in the otherwise conservative gallery.
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to be patently or compellingly obvious.
The stark, staring fact is, you can't do something with nothing.
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(of hair, feathers, etc.) to stick out or stand on end; bristle.
Both male and female pheasants are rough-footed and have staring feathers around the head and neck.
verb (used with object)
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stares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stared,
past participle, past
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staring
present participle
-
to stare at.
to stare a person up and down.
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to effect or have a certain effect on by staring.
They all laughed at me and stared me into silence.
noun
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stares
plural
verb phrase
idioms
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stare (something) in the face, to confront or be confronted by (something unpleasant).
The company is staring bankruptcy in the face.
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stare one in the face,
-
(especially of something undesirable) to be patently or compellingly obvious.
Sounds like a far-fetched theory, but when the evidence is staring you in the face, you have to take notice.
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to be urgent or impending; be about to happen.
The income tax deadline is staring us in the face.
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staring down the barrel of,
-
having (a firearm) aimed at one, especially at close range.
He turned his head and found himself staring down the barrel of a rifle.
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facing (a threat, challenging situation, or imminent disaster).
Motorists are staring down the barrel of a major hike in the price of fuel.
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verb
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to look or gaze fixedly, often with hostility or rudeness
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(intr) (of an animal's fur, bird's feathers, etc) to stand on end because of fear, ill health, etc
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(intr) to stand out as obvious; glare
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to be glaringly obvious or imminent
noun
noun
Synonym Usage
See gaze.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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staresimple
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staressimple
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have staredperfect
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has staredperfect
-
am staringprogressive
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are staringprogressive
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is staringprogressive
-
have been staringperfect progressive
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has been staringperfect progressive
Past
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staredsimple
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had staredperfect
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was staringprogressive
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were staringprogressive
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had been staringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stare
First recorded before 900; Middle English staren, Old English starian; cognate with Dutch staren, German starren, Old Norse stara; akin to stark, starve
Explanation
To stare is to fix your eyes on a subject. As hard as it might be to resist looking at them for long periods of time, it's not polite to stare at celebrities. The noun stare is a certain kind of gaze — a long, intense one. The verb to stare is the act of staring, of locking one's eyes somewhere. When one stares at something, one looks at it for a long period of time, often with great intensity and without blinking. That's why one loses a staring contest when one blinks. Try not to stare at people when they're eating. It's rude! A stare is usually more intense and creepier than a gaze.
Vocabulary lists containing stare
Beowulf vocabulary
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Now See Here: Words For Looking
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A partial eclipse like the one the UK experienced on Wednesday meant the sun was still pretty bright, so far fewer people may have tried to stare at it directly.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
If they stare at me blankly, I’m out.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Watching Banderas’ chef stare at the Atlantic, it may occur to you that a cook can no longer afford a waterfront shack on the sand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
In Los Palos Grandes, one of Caracas's most expensive middle-class neighborhoods and one of the hardest hit, three residents stare with dismay at the red sign placed on their building.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
“I figured the FBI would be screening your mail. And when I saw Andre’s posts online…” Camille and I swivel to stare at Andre, who looks embarrassed.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
The tension here is palpable, as she stares at the viewer through the screen as if cast out of her home by Schuyler’s physical and emotional presence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Elsewhere in Washington, the now-defunct US Institute of Peace was renamed after Trump, and his face stares down from huge banners outside the Department of Justice and Department of Agriculture.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
The screens behind both goals flashed up images of Scotland fans and their 1000-yard stares.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Her caged parakeet in the upper corner stares back at us, acknowledging our voyeurism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
“Do you feel depressed? Because my mom has depression, and sometimes she stares at the wall while she’s in bed. Sorry. That sounded super depressing.”
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Elsewhere in Washington, the now-defunct US Institute of Peace was also renamed after Trump, and his face has stared down from huge banners hung outside the Justice and Agriculture Departments.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
He mostly stared forward as family members of shooting victims shared emotional testimony with the court for more than an hour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
“All I want is to bury my son beside his brothers,” Al-Zaharnah said, his voice quiet as he stared at the excavator.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Later that year, he twice froze during press conferences, stared into space, and had to be assisted.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
Then they sat and stared at the flames, the whole ring of them.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
She is frequently by Trump’s side, often smiling and staring fixedly at him, and once reportedly rode in an SUV trunk to accompany him to a court date because there wasn’t a seat for her.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
Setting foot into a one-bedroom flat in an old mining village, you immediately become aware of dozens of pairs of eyes staring at you.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
I was staring at my 61-year-old reflection as I repeated these mantras suggested by my new therapist SuzAnn, embarrassed at the idiocy although I lived alone in a small West L.A. guesthouse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
The only way to see him is by staring straight up—but even then, much like the secrets of the universe, you can never get a full view.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The mom sees me staring and smiles, her quill earrings so long they almost dangle onto the plate.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
