stared; staring
1
: to look fixedly often with wide-open eyes
He just sat and stared out the window.
—often used with atThey stared at the scene in disbelief.
2
: to show oneself conspicuously
The error stared from the page.
3
1
: to have an effect on by staring
2
: to look at with a searching or earnest gaze
stared him up and down
starer
noun
see also:
Examples of stare in a Sentence
Verb
She stared out the window.
His mother told him not to stare.
Noun
They looked at me with accusing stares.
caught the child's wide-eyed stare on film
Recent Examples on the Web
Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 18 May 2026
His hands were at ten and two, his face fixed, staring straight ahead.
—Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
Passengers react to unexpected seatmate Passengers and flight attendants reacted with surprise as Stewie made its way to a window seat, drawing stares, photos, and plenty of questions.
—J.d. Miles, CBS News, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stare
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.
Verb
Why Off-Grid Travel Is Booming In 2026 The shift is driven by hard numbers about how much of life is spent staring at a screen.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 18 May 2026
His hands were at ten and two, his face fixed, staring straight ahead.
—Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
Noun
Her blank-canvas stare allowed viewers to more easily project their experiences onto her, and perhaps even exorcise their frustrations through Mary’s problems.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
Passengers react to unexpected seatmate Passengers and flight attendants reacted with surprise as Stewie made its way to a window seat, drawing stares, photos, and plenty of questions.
—J.d. Miles, CBS News, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stare
Cite this Entry
“Stare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stare. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stare
1 of 2 verb
ˈsta(ə)r 
ˈste(ə)r
stared; staring
: to look hard and long often with wide-open eyes
stare at a stranger
starer
noun
stare
2 of 2 noun
: the act or an instance of staring
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
