stare
verb (used without object)
to gaze fixedly and intently, especially with the eyes wide open.
were staring
-
past progressiveof stare.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
At 124 for four, with leg-spinners Rehan Ahmed and Adil Rashid asking probing questions, Sri Lanka were staring down the barrel.
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
“She had her savings, which were being depleted. So, we were staring at the idea of spending her principal, and we’d keep going until it was all gone,” Pinsker writes.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 18, 2025
Instead, when they lost, Bradley’s decision became emblematic of why the Americans were staring at a historic deficit going into the final day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2025
Before Chris Paul’s voice echoed through the room, his reasons for returning home were staring at him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2025
They were staring down at the poison tide.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
