squints 1 of 2

noun

plural of squint
as in looks
chiefly British an especially brief instance of looking Take a squint at this!

Related Words

Relevance

squints

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of squint
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.

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of squints
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
Nashville — Steve Crook squints through the sun, scanning his surroundings with precision. — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 27 June 2026 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
  1. looks
  2. stares
  3. gazes
  4. glances
  5. glares
  6. blinks
  7. peeks
  8. peers
Noun
  • But today’s trend-conscious younger Americans are thinking beyond looks.
    — Steven John, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Carla also keeps exchanging these looks with Johnny, which is worrying me.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of looks
Verb
  • The real Cloonee sits in a chair across from me, while another stares at me from the coffee table, where there’s a copy of Cloonee’s recent DJ Mag cover.
    — Katie Bain, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Lux is drawn back to the old pictures and voice notes on his phone, while Mille stares at the WhatsApp chat with her sister as if waiting for a response.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of stares
Noun
  • The goal is to adorn the eyes without pulling too much focus, instead framing gazes in a way that honors the holistic ease of your look.
    — Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Despite this extreme proximity, their gazes bypass each other entirely.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of gazes
Verb
  • They trade glances across the table and crack jokes that don’t always need explaining; the years together have apparently given them their own shorthand and inside humor.
    — Crystal Bell, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Jala is a place to celebrate birthdays and date nights, a place where customers won’t catch sideways glances for opting to wear slacks or skirts.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of glances
Noun
  • As Nazareth’s pep band rang in the victory, parents offered the Celtics words of comfort, pausing only to cast glares in the direction of administrators.
    — Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Astronomers have spotted four dead star white dwarf stars playing a game of cosmic hide-and-seek, all four of which were hiding in the glares of red dwarf companion stars.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of glares
Verb
  • Time blinks by Kathy Vigiano measures time by how much her youngest son, John, has grown since her husband, NYPD Detective Joseph Vigiano, was killed in the 9/11 terror attacks.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Order eggs Benedict topped with two generous heaps of caviar and no one blinks.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of blinks
Noun
  • At New York Comic-Con’s Blumfest panel, Jason Blum and James Wan offered their first peeks at what that looks like.
    — Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
  • For years, my SiriusXM show has offered only brief video peeks.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of peeks
Verb
  • Emotions run high and loud; the camera peers closely into their grief.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Specifically, this image was captured by JWST's NIRCam (Near-InfraRed Camera) instrument, which peers into the near-infrared, a wavelength range that encompasses the light from faint stars and galaxies.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of peers

Browse Nearby Words

squinting
squints
squire
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Squints.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squints. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All