gaze

verb \ ˈgāz \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of gaze

gazed; gazing

intransitive verb

: to fix the eyes in a steady intent look often with eagerness or studious attention

gazed out the window at the snow

—

gazer

noun

See gaze defined for English-language learners

See gaze defined for kids

Examples of gaze in a Sentence

He gazed out the window at the snow.
She gazed intently into his eyes.

Recent Examples of gaze from the Web

Yasiel Puig gazed at one of the umpires in disdain.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "Dodgers have no answer for pitcher Patrick Corbin in 3-0 loss to the Diamondbacks," 5 Apr. 2018
Planetarium shows, lectures, and star-gazing on the fourth Saturday of each month, with some occasional special events.

— San Francisco Chronicle, "22 reasons to wander Lake County now," 5 Apr. 2018
Add to that a cozy restaurant with gourmet sandwiches and soul-warming hot cocoa, and friendly rescue dogs that often gaze down on diners from a second-floor window.

— kari bodnarchuk, BostonGlobe.com, "‘If Utah and Colorado are Hawaii, Sun Valley is Tahiti’," 7 Mar. 2018
Arrivederci, Arie When Arie stepped on the stage, the women either fixed their steely gazes on him, or fluffed their hair and leaned in.

— melissa locker, Time, "The Bachelor Recap: The Women Tell all About Arie, Krystal, and Bekah," 26 Feb. 2018
At the Thai Elephant Conservation Center, tucked away in the trees near Chiang Mai, a pair of Asian elephants gazes at two bowls of corn on the other side of a net.

— katherine harmon courage, Scientific American, "The Social Genius of Animals," 23 May 2017
About 70,000 years ago, any hominins who happened to gaze up at the night sky may have caught an incredible sight.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "70,000 Years Ago, a Passing Star Shook Up Our Solar System," 22 Mar. 2018
Tiffany Palmer of Kansas City, North, gazes at her son, Jack.

— cynthia billhartz gregorian, kansascity, "Baby Jack is beating the odds; KC family holds out hope as he awaits new heart, lungs | The Kansas City Star," 17 Mar. 2018
The tour starts at the nursery where visitors will get to gaze upon the tiny coffee seeds that may one day make their morning caffeine fix possible.

— olivia harrison, refinery29.com, "Starbucks Has Turned One Of Its Coffee Farms Into A Travel Destination," 7 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gaze.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gaze

Middle English

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

gaze Synonyms

gaze

noun

Definition of gaze

: a fixed intent look

See gaze defined for English-language learners

Examples of gaze in a Sentence

She looked at him with a calm, steady gaze.
suddenly aware of her admiring gaze, he became self-conscious and uncomfortable

Recent Examples of gaze from the Web

If the driver's gaze strays from the road for too long, the vehicle will issue a series of warnings and eventually slow the car down and stop it.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "There’s growing evidence Tesla’s Autopilot handles lane dividers poorly," 5 Apr. 2018
In an industry that panders to the male gaze on and off the runway, Stella McCartney's power move is a major win for female designers.

— alyssa hardy, Teen Vogue, "What Stella McCartney Buying Back Her Brand From Kering Means For Fashion," 4 Apr. 2018
During the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, under the watchful, bespectacled gaze of an adult in a bunny costume, the president thanked his wife, Melania, for organizing the event.

— madeleine aggeler, The Cut, "Donald Trump Struggles to Describe the White House," 2 Apr. 2018
For Houston car lovers the annual Mecum automotive auction at NRG Center is a chance gaze at some of the coolest cars on the planet and hopefully leave with one of them.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Mecum automotive auction returning to Houston this week," 30 Mar. 2018
Rich reflections During a baptism this past month, JoAnn Morse's gaze wandered up toward the trio of Tiffany windows overhead.

— carol motsinger, Cincinnati.com, "We knew we our stained glass windows were beautiful. We didn't know they were Tiffany.," 29 Mar. 2018
There are lesbians who bring the male gaze into it.

— jessica gross, Longreads, "The Invisible Lives of Young Women With Chronic Illnesses," 1 Mar. 2018
But that morning Vargas Llosa’s expression hovered near patrician indigestion — downturned mouth, indifferent gaze.

— marcela valdes, New York Times, "The Elder Statesman of Latin American Literature — and a Writer of Our Moment," 20 Feb. 2018
The shame of it all is that since 5 Pointz was a prominent tourist attraction, the public would undoubtedly have thronged to say its goodbyes during those 10 months and gaze at the formidable works of aerosol art for the last time.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "What to Know About 5Pointz Graffiti Collective’s Big Win at Court," 15 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of gaze

derivative of ¹gaze

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1566

See Words from the same year

gaze Synonyms

Synonyms

eye, gape, regard, scrutiny, stare;

Near Antonyms

flash, glance, glimpse, peek, peep, sight;

browse, scan;

Related Words

glare, glower;

contemplation, fixation;

attention, observance, observation, surveillance, watch;

examination, inspection, perusal, study, survey;

GAZE Defined for English Language Learners

gaze

verb

Definition of gaze for English Language Learners

: to look at someone or something in a steady way and usually for a long time

gaze

noun

Definition of gaze for English Language Learners

: a long and steady look

GAZE Defined for Kids

gaze

verb \ ˈgāz \

Definition of gaze for Students

gazed; gazing

: to fix the eyes in a long steady look

She gazed at the stars.

Synonym Discussion of gaze

gaze, stare, and glare mean to look at with concentration. gaze is used of a long and fixed look.

- They stood gazing at the sunset.

stare is used of an often curious, rude, or absentminded gaze with eyes wide open.

- He stared in surprise at the strange creature.

glare means an angry stare.

- The teacher glared at the naughty children.

gaze

noun

Definition of gaze for Students

: a long steady look

Medical Dictionary

gaze

intransitive verb \ ˈgāz \

medical Definition of gaze

gazed; gazing

: to fix the eyes in a steady and intent look

—

gaze

noun

Learn More about gaze

See words that rhyme with gaze Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gaze Spanish Central: Translation of gaze Nglish: Translation of gaze for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of gaze for Arabic speakers

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gaze

Definition of gaze

gazer

Examples of gaze in a Sentence

Recent Examples of gaze from the Web

Origin and Etymology of gaze

gaze Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

gaze

Definition of gaze

Examples of gaze in a Sentence

Recent Examples of gaze from the Web

Origin and Etymology of gaze

gaze Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases Related to GAZE

Related Phrases

GAZE Defined for English Language Learners

gaze

Definition of gaze for English Language Learners

gaze

Definition of gaze for English Language Learners

GAZE Defined for Kids

gaze

Definition of gaze for Students

Synonym Discussion of gaze

gaze

Definition of gaze for Students

Medical Dictionary

gaze

medical Definition of gaze

gaze

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Seen and Heard

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