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stare
[stair]
verb (used without object)
to gaze fixedly and intently, especially with the eyes wide open.
to be boldly or obtrusively conspicuous.
The bright modern painting stares out at you in the otherwise conservative gallery.
to be patently or compellingly obvious.
The stark, staring fact is, you can't do something with nothing.
(of hair, feathers, etc.) to stick out or stand on end; bristle.
Both male and female pheasants are rough-footed and have staring feathers around the head and neck.
verb (used with object)
to stare at.
to stare a person up and down.
to effect or have a certain effect on by staring.
They all laughed at me and stared me into silence.
noun
a staring gaze; a fixed look with the eyes wide open.
The banker greeted him with a glassy stare.
verb phrase
to cause to become uncomfortable by gazing steadily at one; overcome by staring.
A nonsmoker at the next table tried to stare me down.
stare
1/ ɛə /
verb
to look or gaze fixedly, often with hostility or rudeness
(intr) (of an animal's fur, bird's feathers, etc) to stand on end because of fear, ill health, etc
(intr) to stand out as obvious; glare
to be glaringly obvious or imminent
noun
the act or an instance of staring
stare
2/ ɛə /
noun
dialecta starling
Other 51Թ Forms
- starer noun
- ˈٲ noun
51Թ History and Origins
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of stare1
Origin of stare2
Idioms and Phrases
stare (something) in the face, to confront or be confronted by (something unpleasant).
The company is staring bankruptcy in the face.
stare one in the face,
(especially of something undesirable) to be patently or compellingly obvious.
Sounds like a far-fetched theory, but when the evidence is staring you in the face, you have to take notice.
to be urgent or impending; be about to happen.
The income tax deadline is staring us in the face.
staring down the barrel of,
having (a firearm) aimed at one, especially at close range.
He turned his head and found himself staring down the barrel of a rifle.
facing (a threat, challenging situation, or imminent disaster).
Motorists are staring down the barrel of a major hike in the price of fuel.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Instead, this weekend, as buildings burn in Tehran and Tel Aviv, the government is staring at a crisis.
And the prospect of more funding is not very promising and unless things change over the next two months, the refugees are staring at starvation come August.
At some shows, he would simply sit at the piano and stare into space, or get up after a few songs and wander backstage.
Cradled in her grandmother's arms, Siwar stared with her large eyes at the unfamiliar crowds of police, medical workers, and journalists gathered on the border.
The tale was made into an award-winning film in 1973, staring Edward Fox as the anonymous gunman.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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