squint

adjective

\ ˈskwint

Definition of squint

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 of an eye : looking or tending to look obliquely or askance (as with envy or disdain)

2 of the eyes : not having the visual axes parallel : crossed

squint

verb

squinted; squinting; squints

Definition of squint (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

1a : to have an indirect bearing, reference, or aim

b : to deviate from a true line

2a : to look in a squint-eyed manner

b : to be cross-eyed

c : to look or peer with eyes partly closed

transitive verb

: to cause (an eye) to squint

squint

noun

Definition of squint (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : strabismus

2 : an instance of squinting

3 : hagioscope

Other Words from squint Example Sentences Learn More about squint

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Other Words from squint

Verb

squinter noun

squintingly \ ˈskwin-tiŋ-lē

\ adverb

Noun

squinty \ ˈskwin-tē

\ adjective

Examples of squint in a Sentence

Verb

She had to squint to read the small print. He squinted through the haze of smoke. I had to squint my eyes to focus on the tiny letters. I noticed that he squints.

Noun

Her gaze narrowed into a squint.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Frustrated by such vagueness, a few brave astronomers have tried to squint through the muddled data to spy more precise answers. — Corey S. Powell, Scientific American, "The Hunt Is on for Alpha Centauri’s Planets," 5 Aug. 2019 Parents should also make sure to watch for things like their children squinting, having difficulty seeing things, complaints about double vision, holding things very close to their faces or getting very close to be able to see something. — Emilia Benton, Houston Chronicle, "Hearing and vision check-ups are another key aspect of starting a new school year," 31 July 2019 While Preece darts around the track during his fourth time out at 12:59 p.m., Smith squints. — Nick Kelly, BostonGlobe.com, "Behind the scenes at a NASCAR race: This is how Ryan Preece’s team rolls," 26 July 2019 The sound of traffic drowned out one whole interview, someone sitting on a bench in a city park, squinting into the lens. — Emma Cline, The New Yorker, "Son of Friedman," 24 June 2019 John Diepersloot squinted under a bright Central Valley sun, pointing to the damage to his fruit orchard that came with the California bullet train. — Ralph Vartabedian, latimes.com, "High-speed rail route took land from farmers. The money they’re owed hasn’t arrived," 10 June 2019 Clubmaster tortoiseshell acetate and gold-tone sunglasses Ray-Ban net-a-porter.com $155.00 SHOP IT Avoid having to squint on the beach in a classic style of tortoiseshell sunnies. — Jaimie Potters, Marie Claire, "Where to Stay, Eat, and Explore in Nantucket, Massachusetts," 10 May 2019 Rihanna popularized it in the summer of 2017, squinting through angular cat eye frames that couldn’t have been much bigger than twin Tic-Tacs. — Jacob Gallagher, WSJ, "From John Lennon to Beyoncé—the Strange Story of Tiny Sunglasses," 5 Mar. 2019 Your eyes squint at the volume of light inside—there’s a vast glass and iron ceiling, plus huge doorways. — Gemma Askham, Condé Nast Traveler, "20 Best Things to Do in Barcelona," 3 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Tourists bunch up on the corner of 72nd Street and squint at the building’s German Renaissance flourishes. — David Gambacorta, Longreads, "Took You By Surprise: John and Paul’s Lost Reunion," 25 June 2019 Not to mention, no one wants squint-eye and forehead wrinkles. — oregonlive.com, "10 running tips for surviving Portland’s heatwave," 10 June 2019 As with most of the Wilderness Safari properties, DumaTau is cleverly hidden among the trees—a squint-and-you’d-miss-it presence—and raised slightly on stilts to take advantage of the views. — Virginia Van Zanten, Vogue, "Why Botswana Should Top Your Travel List in 2019," 27 Dec. 2018 But for these new forms to emerge, Black artists will need to treat Asian culture as more than a squint, and Asians will need to dig further into Black culture than simply a strategic means to coolness. — Andrew Chow, refinery29.com, "Let's Be Real: Asian And Black Artists Aren't "Celebrating" Each Other Through Hip-Hop," 22 May 2018 Their perma-squints are born of concentration, pressure and sunshine. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Patrick Reed’s fire, anger could lead him to glory," 7 Apr. 2018 But Cincinnati brings a next-level combination of meat and cheese to any Super Bowl (or holiday) spread in the form of [squints, clutches pearls] ... hanky-panks? — Katie Vogel, Cincinnati.com, "It was a busy week in the news. Here's what you missed.," 2 Feb. 2018 People older than 32 thought squint, jingle, burlesque and pong were hilarious. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Bepob Over Here Nitwit: Study Identifies the Funniest Words in the English Language," 3 Aug. 2017 Those naturally wide eyes of Harrelson’s are a long way from the scowly LBJ squint, the one that revealed a politico of wily resolve and charismatic duplicity. — Michael Phillips, idahostatesman, "Woody Harrelson tries on the prosthetic ears in ‘LBJ’," 2 Nov. 2017

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

History and Etymology for squint

Adjective

probably aphetic form of earlier a squint, going back to Middle English a squynt, in the phrase beholden (loken) a squynt "to be cross-eyed, look obliquely," from a- a- entry 1 + squynt, of uncertain origin

Note: Middle English a squynt, asquint has been compared with Dutch schuin "aslant, slantingly, askew" (unknown in Middle Dutch, first attested as schuyn "transversus, obliquus" in the Dutch-Latin dictionary of Cornelis Kiliaan, 1599), though the nature of the relationship is unclear. (Dutch schuin is paralleled by Gronings [West Low German] schuun, Low German schün, hypothetically from Germanic *skeuni-.) The form asquint is attested early, already in the Ancrene Wisse (as an addition in one manuscript, British Library Cotton Nero A.14, mid-13th century), but if a putative early Middle Dutch [sχy:n], prior to the development of the diphthong, is the source, -squint seems an unlikely outcome. Variants without t (of skwyn "on a slant," askoyn, ascoign "askance") may have a more direct relationship to Dutch schuin.