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
Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
Sit on the veranda and rock, gazing out at the mountain views.
—Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 22 June 2025
Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 24 June 2025
In uncertain times, individuals simply can’t afford to divert their gaze away from everything happening globally.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaze
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Verb
Ceramic characters, each with their own whimsical charm, gaze from various angles in Rami Kim’s studio.
—Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
Sit on the veranda and rock, gazing out at the mountain views.
—Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 22 June 2025
Noun
It could be considered a sign of ambivalence toward her mirror image, or the body image created through internalizing the gaze of the other.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 24 June 2025
In uncertain times, individuals simply can’t afford to divert their gaze away from everything happening globally.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaze
Cite this Entry
“Gaze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaze. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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