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\ 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)
squint
verbsquinted; squinting; squints
Definition of squint (Entry 2 of 3)
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
: to cause (an eye) to squint
squint
nounDefinition of squint (Entry 3 of 3)
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Other Words from squint
Verb
squinter noun
squintingly \ ˈskwin-tiŋ-lē \ adverb
\ adverbNoun
squinty \ ˈskwin-tē \ adjective
\ adjectiveExamples 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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb One of them was Ningning’s grandmother, who prefers to squint than wear her glasses.
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Lavender Au, The New York Review of Books, "Stuck in Central China on Coronavirus Lockdown," 4 Feb. 2020 If Geoff Schwartz squints his eyes just right while watching the 49ers’ defensive line, the San Francisco jerseys disappear, and he is whisked back to watching the 2007-11 New York Giants.
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Rusty Simmons, SFChronicle.com, "Dominant and deep: 49ers’ defensive line at the core of team’s turnaround," 2 Feb. 2020 This year, the schedules were on matte paper and print was small enough to prompt squinting.
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San Diego Union-Tribune, "Analysis: KAABOO takes final Del Mar bow: Was the festival rushing too fast to its new home at Petco Park?," 17 Sep. 2019 Well get ready to wet your whistle and squint your eyes.
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Danny Hermosillo, Houston Chronicle, "Pickle-flavored beer is the real dill, soon hitting shelves in Houston and across Texas," 14 Aug. 2019 Oppressive laws are being lifted, but daily life is still tough
SOUAD AL-SAWY squints in the glare of the mid-afternoon sun, searching for a bus home.
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The Economist, "Change hits a speed bump Jammed streets highlight the challenges of Sudan’s transition," 5 Dec. 2019 The owner, Babita Kumari, said Sherin squinted in one eye but otherwise had nothing wrong with her when she was adopted in June 2016.
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Washington Post, "Texas man gets life sentence in 3-year-old daughter’s death," 26 June 2019 Lauren Flannery squinted at her watch in the darkness, closed her laptop, let her shoes fall to the floor and set her feet on the table, careful not to disturb her pile of paperwork.
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Greg Borowski, jsonline.com, "The Christmas Boxes: A story about love and loss, mothers and daughters," 20 Dec. 2019 And it's usually fired in ALL CAPS, because it's aimed at folks who need to squint to hear the message: Baby Boomers.
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CBS News, "Faith Salie on the cheeky putdown "OK, Boomer"," 1 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The sextant sailors used in the 18th century for celestial navigation had a telescopic attachment (which gave Popeye the Sailor his characteristic squint).
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Austin Grossman, The Atlantic, "Monocles Were Never Cool," 13 Oct. 2019 Posing on the red carpet, Lizzo held up a teeny-tiny bag that required a soft squint to grasp what was in her hand.
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Nandi Howard, Essence, "Lizzo Wore This Teeny-Tiny Accessory On The AMA Red Carpet," 24 Nov. 2019 Its characters, when viewed with a blurring squint, are as archetypal as the donkeys, lambs, wolves, and lions that populate Aesop.
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Bruce Handy, The Atlantic, "The Peanuts Characters Aren’t Ordinary Kids," 29 Aug. 2019 The Knights go undefeated again, with their best win coming over *squints* a possibly ranked Stanford at home?
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C.j. Doon, baltimoresun.com, "College Football Playoff: 10ish teams outside the top 10 that can actually make the CFP," 23 Aug. 2019 Tourists bunch up on the corner of 72nd Street and squint at the building’s German Renaissance flourishes.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Andrew Chow, refinery29.com, "Let's Be Real: Asian And Black Artists Aren't "Celebrating" Each Other Through Hip-Hop," 22 May 2018
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for squint
squint
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of squint
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to look at something with your eyes partly closed
: to cause (your eyes) to partly close
chiefly British : to have a medical condition that makes your eyes unable to look in the same direction
squint
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of squint (Entry 2 of 2)
: a condition in which you are looking at something with your eyes partly closed : an act of squinting
chiefly British : a medical condition in which your eyes are unable to look in the same direction
British, informal : a quick look
See the full definition for squint in the English Language Learners Dictionary
squint
verb\ ˈskwint \
\squinted; squinting
Kids Definition of squint
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : to look or peer with the eyes partly closed
She squinted to read the small print.
2 : to cause (an eye) to partly close
I squinted my eyes in the bright sunlight.
squint
nounKids Definition of squint (Entry 2 of 2)
: the action or an instance of causing the eyes to partly close or of looking at something with the eyes partly closed
squint
intransitive verb\ ˈskwint \
\Medical Definition of squint
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : to be cross-eyed
2 : to look or peer with eyes partly closed
squint
nounMedical Definition of squint (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : strabismus
2 : an instance or habit of squinting
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Time Traveler for squint
The first known use of squint was in 1579
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