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
And squinting is not necessary to see a vision for him.
—
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2026
Those last 20 minutes are pretty engaging, even if some of that engagement is squinting to see and interpret what’s going on.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
View gallery - 4 images Soldering frequently involves hunching in and squinting at the fiddly task at hand, or performing that task under an unmoving magnifying glass.
—New Atlas, 30 Jan. 2026
The earlier of Sunday’s two title games, after some squinting, will feature the Denver Broncos hosting the New England Patriots led by quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Drake Maye, respectively.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Latecomers in search of a view had to take their chances from the very top of the stadium, squinting to see the players dancing on the court below.
—Owen Lewis, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Authorities say the footage shows Peters appeared to be squinting, driving with one eye closed, or struggling to focus.
—Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Helen takes the envelope, squinting at it in the bright sun, and wonders for a moment what kind of bad news there is left to get from Nebraska.
—Sadia Shepard, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
As when just standing in the Mingus Quick Stop parking lot and squinting down the street at lifting dust while overhearing from within the most mysterious conversation about missing Little Debbie Honey Buns—not stolen, gradually pilfered, but just missing.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2026
Those last 20 minutes are pretty engaging, even if some of that engagement is squinting to see and interpret what’s going on.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
View gallery - 4 images Soldering frequently involves hunching in and squinting at the fiddly task at hand, or performing that task under an unmoving magnifying glass.
—New Atlas, 30 Jan. 2026
The earlier of Sunday’s two title games, after some squinting, will feature the Denver Broncos hosting the New England Patriots led by quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Drake Maye, respectively.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Latecomers in search of a view had to take their chances from the very top of the stadium, squinting to see the players dancing on the court below.
—Owen Lewis, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Authorities say the footage shows Peters appeared to be squinting, driving with one eye closed, or struggling to focus.
—Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Helen takes the envelope, squinting at it in the bright sun, and wonders for a moment what kind of bad news there is left to get from Nebraska.
—Sadia Shepard, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
As when just standing in the Mingus Quick Stop parking lot and squinting down the street at lifting dust while overhearing from within the most mysterious conversation about missing Little Debbie Honey Buns—not stolen, gradually pilfered, but just missing.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squinting
Verb
-
Wonyetye had been arrested just a few weeks prior on a misdemeanor charge of night prowling after he was caught peering through windows in Lake Worth, The Palm Beach Post reported in 1991.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The people in line behind me were annoyed, checking their watches and peering ahead trying to figure out what was taking so long.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Saxon sat at the plaintiff’s table, staring at a screen with no expression.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2026
-
After eight hours at work, staring at spreadsheets and sitting through meetings that should've been emails, my brain needs a complete reset.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The examples below ended with Mbeumo forcing a save from Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sesko scoring a later winner against Fulham and Joshua Zirkzee glancing just wide during the draw with West Ham.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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For much of the New Deal legislation passed, the executive branch drafted the legislation and sent it to Congress, which approved it after glancing at it — or not looking at all, Yoo said.—
Mikayla Bunnell,
Hartford Courant,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Two tiny humanoid robots that can play soccer stand in a glass case, one blinking and gesturing at visitors and the other partially disassembled to reveal the engineering inside.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Why face the blank page and the blinking cursor?—
Charles Yu,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Police arrested a 49-year-old man accused of peeping on people, including two UC Riverside students.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Recently seen on the runways of fashion houses like Prada and Balenciaga, the popular trend has been styled with everything from sleeveless dresses, blazers, and jackets to classic riding capes, peeping out of the sleeve slots as seen above.—
Morgan Evans,
InStyle,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The images, which were taken in 2008 in Cape Town, South Africa, show Dion lounging on her back, gazing off into the distance, and enjoying the sun.—
Juliana Ukiomogbe,
InStyle,
5 Mar. 2026
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And after a long day of trekking, there’s nothing so restorative as a dip in the opulent bathtub, fringed by bricks of pink salt from Pakistan, while gazing out at the Nilgiri glowing ethereally in the dusk.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squinting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squinting. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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