stare
Americanverb (used without object)
-
stares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stared,
past participle, past
-
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.
-
to be patently or compellingly obvious.
The stark, staring fact is, you can't do something with nothing.
-
(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)
-
stares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stared,
past participle, past
-
staring
present participle
-
to stare at.
to stare a person up and down.
-
to effect or have a certain effect on by staring.
They all laughed at me and stared me into silence.
noun
-
stares
plural
verb phrase
idioms
-
stare (something) in the face, to confront or be confronted by (something unpleasant).
The company is staring bankruptcy in the face.
-
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.
-
to be urgent or impending; be about to happen.
The income tax deadline is staring us in the face.
-
-
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.
-
facing (a threat, challenging situation, or imminent disaster).
Motorists are staring down the barrel of a major hike in the price of fuel.
-
verb
-
to look or gaze fixedly, often with hostility or rudeness
-
(intr) (of an animal's fur, bird's feathers, etc) to stand on end because of fear, ill health, etc
-
(intr) to stand out as obvious; glare
-
to be glaringly obvious or imminent
noun
noun
Synonym Usage
See gaze.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
staresimple
-
staressimple
-
have staredperfect
-
has staredperfect
-
am staringprogressive
-
are staringprogressive
-
is staringprogressive
-
have been staringperfect progressive
-
has been staringperfect progressive
Past
-
staredsimple
-
had staredperfect
-
was staringprogressive
-
were staringprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Now See Here: Words For Looking
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
The noise built through the warm-ups, in the tunnel and during the anthems, until, finally, Haaland emerged into the blazing sunshine and took a long blue-eyed stare across the pitch at the five-time world champions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
After reading the memo for a third time, I drop my phone on my desk and stare out the window.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
In its weather, its soundtrack and the haunted stare of Jake Gyllenhaal, it evokes the weeks after 9/11, even if it anticipated them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Taken at a gangster party in City Terrace in 1996, the author and her big sister Maria stare stone-faced, as if daring us to read.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
I stare at the words, trying to make sense of what I’m reading, trying to find a way to link them to Bubbe.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Set between 2019 and 2021, Sorkin’s film stares down the dawn of a new decade, preparing for the birth of our current web of chaos, cruelty and thinly veiled deceit.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
As we wait for the light to change, he stares at my face like he’s trying to memorize it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
“Sometimes he just sits and stares into space,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 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
Alex stares at the door, nervously tapping his foot and chewing on his lip.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Walking past, teammates either stared or smiled at the ears.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
In 2000, he stared alongside American actress Kathleen Turner in the West End production of The Graduate.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Instead, I picked around fish bones and stared at the mess I had made behind me.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Next to the damaged station, dozens of onlookers stared at the flames roaring from the vehicle amid shards of glass and rubble, AFP journalists observed.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Clare stared at her, still too stunned by her distance to speak.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Eminem may well be staring down a future where his regrettable decision to record contemporary worship dreck with Kid Rock generated his last real headlines.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
Some contenders for CEO jobs have been asked to answer obscure questions on psychological tests, such as: “I enjoy staring at rivers for long periods of time,” executives say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
In the mindbending documentary “You Can See Everything,” comedian Nathan Fielder and professed inventor Elizabeth Holmes sit in her beach house staring at each other like gunslingers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
The real problem with smartphone use may not be how many hours people spend staring at their screens.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
I stood there, staring at her, tasting the salt of the tears running down my face.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
