as in stares
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of squints
Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Byrne has never been better, sharper, or more intimidating as a screen presence, carrying the movie with squints and frowns.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
Wiesmair squints at his smartphone, which is logged on to a database of European moth species.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
And in a third, the gaunt 30-year-old killer flexes, purses his lips and squints.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Byrne has never been better, sharper, or more intimidating as a screen presence, carrying the movie with squints and frowns.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
Verb
Meanwhile, Charles squints at the phone.
—Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
Wiesmair squints at his smartphone, which is logged on to a database of European moth species.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squints
Noun
-
The media company behind such iconic TV characters as Don Draper, Rick Grimes and Walter White wants advertisers to give a stronger gaze at first looks.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Certainly had some good looks from three that didn’t go down.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Michael stares at his image without showing much interest.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
-
An antelope on a ridge teasingly stares before bounding off up the rocky hill.—
Julia Sayers Gokhale,
Midwest Living,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Everyone’s soft gazes soon hardened as the magnificent baby with so many rolls and love handles proved to be all unsightly flab.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Their gazes famously met for the first time on the Croisette in 1955, and from that moment on, nothing was the same.—
Francesca Pellegrini,
Vanity Fair,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Suddenly Bieber was dancing around, trading fun glances with his fellow-artists, finally gesturing toward the usually obvious fact that a concert might also be an uncomplicatedly good time.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Driver monitoring systems, designed to detect distracted drivers, were also ineffective in allowing for off-road glances to go unnoticed, the NTSB found.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Since it was released at the end of 2023, the hulking, angular vehicle has been subject to jokes about its appearance and glares from people who disagree with CEO Elon Musk’s politics.—
Andrea Guzmán,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Saab recommends combining overhead lighting with wall sconces and table lamps to lend more flexibility while also avoiding harsh glares.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The beauty of this method is that the camera only blinks every 30 seconds.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
14 Apr. 2026
-
When a media company acquires another media company, nobody blinks.—
Jonathan Hunt,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Someone dressed in a big blue bear costume — an homage to the 40-foot ursine behemoth who peers into the Colorado Convention Center along 14th Street in downtown Denver — has already been getting a lot of attention from attendees, the party chair said.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Reid Wiseman peers out the window of the Orion spacecraft.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Expect a mostly cloudy sky, with a few peeks of sunshine on Saturday.—
Steven Sosna,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
-
Besides, industry gossip, behind-the-curtain peeks and pure, uncut schadenfreude can move a lot of books.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squints.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squints. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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