stare

1 of 2

verb

ˈster 

stared; staring

intransitive verb

1

: to look fixedly often with wide-open eyes

He just sat and stared out the window.

—often used with at

They stared at the scene in disbelief.

2

: to show oneself conspicuously

The error stared from the page.

3

of hair : to stand on end : bristle

also : to appear rough and lusterless

transitive verb

1

: to have an effect on by staring

2

: to look at with a searching or earnest gaze

stared him up and down

starer noun

stare

2 of 2

noun

: the act or an instance of staring

a blank stare

Phrases

stare one in the face

1

: to look directly into the eyes of (someone)

I stared him in the face and told him to leave.

2

: to be undeniably and forcefully evident or apparent

The solution was staring me in the face.

Synonyms of stare

Verb

• gaze
• gawk

Noun

• gaze

Examples of stare in a Sentence

Verb

She stared out the window.

His mother told him not to stare.

Noun

They looked at me with accusing stares.

caught the child's wide-eyed stare on film

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The pair ignored him and continued to walk away, leaving Frank staring in their direction for several seconds. —Jay Harris, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025

There’s a picture of me, not quite a year old, in a blue sailor suit and a red ribbon tied around my neck, staring avidly at a picture book. —Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025

Noun

Some feminists saw that as presumption, skipping the long price of admission—slights, salaries, stares. —James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

Secluded in the rural Indiana camp, reigniting a messy relationship with a longtime friend and wary of the cryptic stares of her peers, our narrator discovers the demons have followed her all the way from New York City. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English starian; akin to Old High German starēn to stare, Greek stereos solid, Lithuanian starinti to stiffen

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1553, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing stare

• blank stare
• fix one's eyes/gaze/stare on/upon
• look/shoot/stare daggers at
• stare at (someone)
• stare daggers
• stare decisis
• stare down
• stare/gaze (off) into space
• stare out
• stare (someone) in the eye(s)
• stare (someone) in the face

Rhymes for stare

• air
• ayre
• bahr
• bare
• blare
• care
• chair
• claire
• ere
• err
• eyre
• fair

Kids Definition

stare

1 of 2 verb

ˈsta(ə)r 

ˈste(ə)r

stared; staring

: to look hard and long often with wide-open eyes

stare at a stranger

starer noun

stare

2 of 2 noun

: the act or an instance of staring