leer

1 of 2

verb

ˈlir 

leered; leering; leers

intransitive verb

: to cast a sidelong glance

especially : to give a leer

Some female employees complained that they were being leered at by male employees.

leeringly

ˈlir-iŋ-lē 

adverb

leer

2 of 2

noun

: a lascivious, knowing, or wanton look

Synonyms

Verb

• make eyes (at)
• ogle
• eye
• stare

Examples of leer in a Sentence

Verb

She complained that some disgusting man was leering at her.

He gave her a leering look.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Even the hefty, vintage camcorder Matthew totes around to film his documentary drops us directly into his leering point of view, crash zooming in on Oliver’s face and obviating boundaries. —Eric Torres, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025

Julia, captured at once, is sold to Lord Lovat (Tony Curran), the leering head of Clan Fraser. —Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025

Noun

Some of the same faces are AI replicated more than once in the same scene and sport strange zombie-like staring leers or appear out of scale with other surrounding character identities. —Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025

Where the documentary does excel is in its speedy ability to draw out and characterize the various personalities lurking around the case, though its eye for the revealing detail can at times turn into a leer. —Daniel D'addario, Variety, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

probably from obsolete leer cheek

First Known Use

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1598, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

leer

verb

ˈli(ə)r

: to give a nasty or sexually suggestive look

leer noun