as in to stare
to take a look with the eyes narrowed (as because of difficulty seeing)
He squinted in her direction, but couldn't make her out with the sun behind her.
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1
as in strabismus
British
difficulty in seeing resulting from improper alignment of the eyes
The child was born with a squint that was eventually corrected through surgery.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of squint
Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
At the close of each semester at my small liberal arts college, students bury themselves in the library, staking out study rooms, flipping through stacks of books and notes, and squinting at laptop screens.
—Moira Gleason, National Review, 24 July 2025
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 23 Feb. 2025
Downcast and out-of-sorts, but, if one squints, having a decent enough time.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squint
Verb
The second photo, however, shows a complete change in demeanor, with the pup squinting at his owner, a clear expression of betrayal.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
At the close of each semester at my small liberal arts college, students bury themselves in the library, staking out study rooms, flipping through stacks of books and notes, and squinting at laptop screens.
—Moira Gleason, National Review, 24 July 2025
Noun
Up on deck for a smoke afterward, Spencer squints at the horizon: Yep, that’s land in the distance.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 23 Feb. 2025
Downcast and out-of-sorts, but, if one squints, having a decent enough time.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squint
Verb
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Taking refuge in Utah, a world away I’m sitting here, staring at these majestic mountains that in the summer can appear brown, blue, green, gold or gray depending on the time of day or how the sun hits them.—
Suzette Hackney,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
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One where the entire community would gather to stare blankly at price tags, sit on bulky massage chairs, and sample glossy pieces of teriyaki chicken in a grand dining hall.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Barrel Cards The barrel card exercise can help improve symptoms of strabismus (crossed eyes).—
Laura Schober,
Health,
12 Feb. 2025
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One of his conditions, strabismus,has also been reported by researchers to be behind the genius of Leonardo da Vinci, allowing the painter to perceive the world differently and facilitating his accurate depiction of three-dimensional objects on flat surfaces.—
Maya Davis,
CNN,
4 Aug. 2024
Noun
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Devers never appeared to direct his gaze toward Freeland, but the latter didn't care.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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Gunners can aim weapons by turning their heads or focusing their gaze.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The team met briefly in an office park but split up after workers started peering at their SUVs with tinted windows.—
Elliot Spagat,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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Jihan peers closer at these images, now sensing in some of them that her father seems preoccupied, as if already aware of the tragic fate that would befall him.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For instance, people with astigmatism benefit from toric lenses.—
Malana VanTyler,
AZCentral.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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This changes how light enters the eye and often leads to irregular astigmatism.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Based on Alice Oseman's popular webcomic turned graphic novels, Heartstopper is loaded with longing glares, timid greetings, delicate touches, and all the definitive hallmarks of young love as two classmates fall for each other at Truham Grammar School for Boys.—
James Mercadante,
EW.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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The Perseid meteor shower peaked on Aug 12–13, overcoming the glare of a waning gibbous moon to put on a spectacular show of shooting stars that delighted onlookers worldwide.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In another photo, the Pomellato woman sits in a bar wearing a patent leather trench, a beret, a stack of bracelets on one arm, glancing down at her companion — an English bulldog.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
28 Aug. 2025
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On a large scale LED screen, a white cheeked spider monkey sits hunched over a smart phone within a smouldering virtual Brazilian forest landscape, occasionally glancing up at his viewers.—
Joanne Shurvell,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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To bring this vision to life, Everton turned to Populous, the sports and entertainment design firm whose extensive back catalogue includes the likes of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Wembley and The Sphere in Las Vegas.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Working with Brian Rose, who spent the last five years trying to recreate the film with charcoal drawings, physical models of the sets, and researching storyboards and screenplay drafts, Showrunner will spend next two years to get as close as possible to Welles’ vision.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Squint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squint. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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