squint

adjective \ ˈskwint \

|Updated on: 6 Jun 2018

Examples: squint in a Sentence

Definition of squint

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

Origin and Etymology of squint

Middle English asquint

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1579

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

squint

verb

Definition of squint

squinted; squinting; squints

intransitive verb

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

b : to deviate from a true line

2 a : 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

—

squinter

noun

—

squintingly

play \ˈskwin-tiŋ-lē\ adverb

See squint defined for English-language learners

See squint defined for kids

Examples of squint in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of squint from the Web

From the second Meghan set off from her hotel in a royal Rolls-Royce, people were squinting and screen-shotting, trying to get a glimpse of her outfit.

— aj willingham, CNN, "Every romantic, emotional moment from one heck of a royal wedding," 19 May 2018
Bill Pullman squints meaningfully as the curious cop, who is hiding some dark secrets of his own.

— chris ball, cleveland.com, "Gary Oldman in 'Darkest Hour,' now on DVD and Blu-ray (review)," 5 Mar. 2018
In the town’s center was a statue of Vladimir Lenin, his squinting eyes fiercely inspecting this Arctic riviera.

— nimrod nir, Newsweek, "Welcome to Pyramiden, a Mysterious Soviet Ghost Town, Where I Was Imprisoned by Nature—and My Poor Judgment," 14 Feb. 2018
In the hours before Thursday afternoon's trade deadline, Cavs general manager Koby Altman finally responded to his team's alarming recent struggles by, uh... [squints] trading everyone on the roster?

— jay willis, GQ, "The Cleveland Cavaliers' Bonkers Trades Pave the Way for LeBron to Leave," 8 Feb. 2018
With more of that and less of Baldwin’s squinting pout, S.N.L. might actually have something to say.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "S.N.L. Struggles to Find Its Identity in the Era of Trump Fatigue," 17 May 2018
One doesn't have to squint hard to see how KU's offense could succeed, though.

— jesse newell, kansascity, "Quick scout: A conflicted prediction for KU's Elite Eight game vs. Duke | The Kansas City Star," 25 Mar. 2018
Then Smith will squint into the second deck of Chase Field, looking for his mother.

— alden woods, azcentral, "ASU graduates take on the world after changing their own to get a degree," 6 May 2018
Piper crossed his living room and squinted through the peep-hole on his front door.

— the oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, "Chuck Palahniuk has a new satirical novel, 'Adjustment Day': Read an excerpt," 30 Apr. 2018

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.

First Known Use of squint

1599

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

squint

noun

Definition of squint

1 : strabismus

2 : an instance of squinting

3 : hagioscope

—

squinty

play \ˈskwin-tē\ adjective

See squint defined for English-language learners

Examples of squint in a Sentence

Her gaze narrowed into a squint.

Recent Examples of squint from the Web

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
Many fans showed outrage on social media Friday night as images immediately surfaced of Gurriel making an eye-squint gesture in the dugout after homering off of Darvish, who is half Japanese, during the Astros’ 5-3 win in Game 3.

— michael mcgough, sacbee, "World Series: Gurriel's suspension set for 2018; fans think that's too late | The Sacramento Bee," 28 Oct. 2017
The sun forced her eye into a squint and lit up her short red hair.

— joshua emerson smith, sandiegouniontribune.com, "After crackdown on tent city, homeless recount Hepatitis horror stories," 30 Sep. 2017
Felt, whom Neeson plays mostly via a series of grumpy squints and barely perceptible nose-twitches, begins to suspect something much darker could be afoot, going far beyond a botched attempt to bug the Democratic Party’s election headquarters.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Mark Felt Tells a Familiar Tale of the Watergate Scandal," 26 Sep. 2017

First Known Use of squint

circa 1652

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SQUINT Defined for English Language Learners

squint

verb

Definition of squint for English Language Learners

: to look at something with your eyes partly closed
: to cause (your eyes) to partly close
: to have a medical condition that makes your eyes unable to look in the same direction

squint

noun

Definition of squint for English Language Learners

: a condition in which you are looking at something with your eyes partly closed : an act of squinting
: a medical condition in which your eyes are unable to look in the same direction
: a quick look