gazed; gazing; gazes
: to fix the eyes in a steady intent look often with eagerness or studious attention
gazed out the window at the snow
gazer
noun
plural gazers
plural gazes
1
: a fixed intent look
a steady gaze
He fixed his gaze out the window.
She lowered/dropped/raised her gaze.
I met his gaze. [=I looked back at him.]
2
: the collective preferences and expectations of a usually privileged social group especially when imposed as a standard or norm on other groups
In 1973, British feminist film writer Laura Mulvey wrote a seminal essay called "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema", which explored how mainstream films appealed to a male gaze—a term she coined—because the industry was dominated by men who, inevitably, constructed representations of women from a masculine point of view.—
Kerrie O'Brien
Kerrie O'BrienSo few slots are available for nonwhite writers that those who break through are sometimes themselves charged with … exaggerating elements of their culture for a white gaze; living up to the image that white writers have created for them, the easier to be packaged and sold.—Ligaya Mishan
Ligaya MishanIt looks like a gentle scene of a seaside vacation. But this painting by Berthe Morisot, perhaps the most underrated Impressionist, is a layered vision of a dawning modern age and a rare glimpse at the 19th-century female gaze.—Natasha Frost
Natasha FrostExamples of gaze in a Sentence
Verb
He gazed out the window at the snow.
She gazed intently into his eyes.
Noun
She looked at him with a calm, steady gaze.
suddenly aware of her admiring gaze, he became self-conscious and uncomfortable
Recent Examples on the Web
Peter Bart, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
Curving around the glistening, glacial Sarmiento Lake, an amphitheater of rooms gazes up at the Paine massif, with scenes constantly shifting depending on the time of day.
—Sarah Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 25 Jan. 2026
Her perceptive lensing is especially poignant across wordless scenes where the two girls romance their teacher through longing gazes.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaze
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Verb
Across several generations, readers suffered through the star-gazing genre like Sky Rocket, absurdist efforts like Merton at the Movies and also the manic depressive Day of the Locust.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
Curving around the glistening, glacial Sarmiento Lake, an amphitheater of rooms gazes up at the Paine massif, with scenes constantly shifting depending on the time of day.
—Sarah Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Noun
Their gazes are bright, or disaffected, or longing.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 25 Jan. 2026
Her perceptive lensing is especially poignant across wordless scenes where the two girls romance their teacher through longing gazes.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaze
Cite this Entry
“Gaze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaze. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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