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
Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 17 Nov. 2025
The clip, posted under the handle, @thebeauedit shows the three Pomskies—a mix of Alaskan husky and Pomeranian—sitting in a perfect little lineup, shoulder-to-shoulder, gazing out of their enclosure with uncanny composure.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
On Instagram, and even on her reality show, Kardashian comes across as thrillingly impervious, wearing impassivity like body armor and putting her body and face through Olympian ordeals to draw our collective gaze.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaze
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
The photos show the Barkleys alternately behind the wheel, gazing out the window, and posing in front of the car.
—Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 17 Nov. 2025
The clip, posted under the handle, @thebeauedit shows the three Pomskies—a mix of Alaskan husky and Pomeranian—sitting in a perfect little lineup, shoulder-to-shoulder, gazing out of their enclosure with uncanny composure.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Noun
Yet both have the same dark, potent gaze, Braun notes.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
On Instagram, and even on her reality show, Kardashian comes across as thrillingly impervious, wearing impassivity like body armor and putting her body and face through Olympian ordeals to draw our collective gaze.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 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 22 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share