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
Tuesday afternoon in the blazing heat, Semien emerged from the visitors’ clubhouse holding a bat and ready for BP, squinting his eyes to try to find Toboni across the field near the home dugout.
—
Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 21 May 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
Needless to say, there was much squinting at computer screens.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
The comic spent some minutes zooming in on and squinting at the photo, putting his hand on his head to ascertain the resemblance.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
And squinting is not necessary to see a vision for him.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2026
Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 21 May 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
Needless to say, there was much squinting at computer screens.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
The comic spent some minutes zooming in on and squinting at the photo, putting his hand on his head to ascertain the resemblance.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
And squinting is not necessary to see a vision for him.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squinting
Verb
-
Cruising thousands of feet above the ground, peering out of the airplane window at the world below, and pinpointing all of the green football, baseball and soccer fields sprawled below.—
Shaun Goodwin
May 25,
Idaho Statesman,
25 May 2026
-
Qassem and Ali moved through every room, peering into corners, opening doors.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
Instead, The Mandalorian and Grogu is staring at a third-place finish behind writer-director Curry Barker’s Obsession.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2026
-
Shaina laid on her cot all night, staring at the ceiling, processing all the ways her life was changing.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
His perfect parade was broken up by an error in the fourth inning when miscommunication between Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker led to Trea Turner’s fly ball glancing off Tucker’s glove and dropping to the warning track uncaught.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
These gentler, more glancing interactions often result in a merger, too.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
The horizon is scattered with tall wind turbines, crowned with blinking red lights visible from miles away in the nighttime sky.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2026
-
Special features All interactive Fingerlings have a core set of responses such as blinking, sleeping and tooting.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
An extremely nosy alligator was found sitting on the porch of a coastal North Carolina home, peeping through the glass storm door, photos show.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Apr. 2026
-
During fall leaf-peeping season, traffic on the pass has to be regulated.—
Jonathan Shikes,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As a scorching wind tears across the barren, rocky slopes of Komote Island off the shore of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya, Alfred Lenkutuk sits in the meager shelter of his hut, gazing out over the village where he was born and remembering better times.—
Tommy Trenchard,
NPR,
31 May 2026
-
There are humans bustling everywhere, walking, lifting, turning blind corners and gazing upwards.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squinting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squinting. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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