as in peering
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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Recent Examples of squinting
No more squinting at raw tape and praying for a basketball IQ transplant.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
Tired of squinting at your dim, blurry TV?
—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
22 June 2026
Getting there requires a bit of squinting.
—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
And though the wave is turning, Ahn is already squinting at the horizon for the next one.
—
Joshua Encinias,
IndieWire,
17 June 2026
On a street by the harbor, crowds of people were squinting into the distance, exclaiming every time the whale exhaled.
—
Jessica Camille Aguirre,
New Yorker,
2 May 2026
Whether 2026 is the year, or just the year fans started squinting at the schedule, is the watercooler question worth holding onto until that first Monday in May.
—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
The family smiles while dressed casually and barefoot, squinting from the sun's rays.
—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Most people have been there, squinting at a chart from their physician's portal with zero context.
—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
Tired of squinting at your dim, blurry TV?
—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
22 June 2026
Getting there requires a bit of squinting.
—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
And though the wave is turning, Ahn is already squinting at the horizon for the next one.
—
Joshua Encinias,
IndieWire,
17 June 2026
On a street by the harbor, crowds of people were squinting into the distance, exclaiming every time the whale exhaled.
—
Jessica Camille Aguirre,
New Yorker,
2 May 2026
Whether 2026 is the year, or just the year fans started squinting at the schedule, is the watercooler question worth holding onto until that first Monday in May.
—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
The family smiles while dressed casually and barefoot, squinting from the sun's rays.
—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Most people have been there, squinting at a chart from their physician's portal with zero context.
—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squinting
Verb
-
An 11-year-old Dexter Sol Ansell is peering into his Zoom camera, hands pressed to his cheeks and mouth wide open in mock shock.
-
Indeed, undeterred by the danger of military patrols and unforgiving conditions, the football obsessives resort to everything from stealing government electricity to peering through enemies’ windows to catch a glimpse of the game single-handedly won by the less problematic Ronaldo.
Verb
-
In Taiwan, a student sitting for an entrance exam for a top medical school was discovered wearing smart glasses after proctors noticed the student staring oddly at the test, leading to an inspection that revealed the frame was emitting heat.
-
Three stories, three separate sets of receipts, with one through line worth staring at until a clearer view emerges.
Verb
-
DiMarco asked the woman to his left, both glancing up at the screen.
-
Ramin Rezaeian's beautiful cross from the right found Mohammad Mohebbi all alone in the box, and his glancing header to the far post has knotted things up yet again.
Verb
-
If the stoplight is blinking red, stop completely and look both ways before continuing.
-
Following up on their brilliant 4-1 win over Paraguay a week ago would always be a tall task, but the Americans looked strong in the opening 45 minutes against the Aussies – though there remain some blinking warning signs about the Stars and Stripes’ defense.
Verb
-
The sights in White Mountains National Forest are particularly magical during the fall when leaf-peeping season is at its peak.
-
However, there isn’t necessarily a consistent color for grass between stadiums and broadcasters, meaning pixel-peeping viewers might need to tweak their settings to their own liking for each match .
Verb
-
Isn’t that what any of us wants when gazing into the mirror held up to nature, as Hamlet describes the theater?
-
Soul gazing The following morning, the participants wake up with maybe the clearest heads in Nashville.
Cite this Entry
“Squinting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squinting. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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