stare

stare¹ W2S3 [steə US ster] v

[: Old English; Origin: starian]

1.) to look at something or someone for a long time without moving your eyes, for example because you are surprised, angry, or bored

stare at

▪ What are you staring at?

stare (at sb) in disbelief/amazement/horror etc

▪ She stared at me in disbelief.

▪ She sat there staring into space (=looking for a long time at nothing) .

2.) be staring sb in the face

a) [i]informal if something is staring you in the face, it is very clear or easy to notice but you have not noticed it

▪ The solution was staring me right in the face all along.

b) to seem impossible to avoid

▪ Defeat was staring us in the face.

→stark staring mad at ↑stark² (2)

stare out [stare sb out] phr v

to look at someone for so long that they start to feel uncomfortable and look away

stare ²

stare² n

when you look at something for a long time in a steady way

▪ She gave him a long hard stare .

▪ She laughed, ignoring the stares of everyone around her.

▪ His pleas were met by a blank stare (=a stare with no expression, understanding, or interest) .