DictionaryAI

stare

SaySTAIR/stɛɚ//stɛə/

Verbstares, staring, stared

Noun pluralstares

6 meanings of stare

Practice

  1. 1
    keep lookingverbintransitive
    To look at someone or something for a long time without looking away.

    It's rude to stare at people on the train.

    She stared at the painting for almost ten minutes.

    UsageSay stare at someone. Staring at people can seem rude.

    Similargaze, gape, gawk, peer, goggle

    Oppositeglance

  2. 2
    a hard looknouncountable
    A long, fixed look at someone or something.

    His stare made me nervous, so I looked away.

    The cat held its stare on the bird for a full minute.

    UsageSay a blank stare or an angry stare.

    Similargaze, look, glare

    Oppositeglance

  3. 3
    verbtransitive
    To make someone do or feel something by looking at them in a fixed, steady way.

    The teacher stared the noisy students into silence.

    Don't try to stare me into changing my mind.

    UsageSay stare someone down to make them look away.

  4. 4
    stand outverbintransitive
    To be very easy to notice because of size, bright color, or shine.

    Similarglare, blaze

Less common meanings

  1. 5
    bristleverbobsoleteintransitive
    To stick out stiffly, like rough hair or an animal's fur.
    Makest my blood cold, and my hair to stare.
    1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”Here, stare means to stand up stiffly, so my hair stands on end.
    Take off all the staring straws, twigs and jags in the hive.
    1707, John Mortimer, The whole Art of HusbandryHere, staring means sticking out stiffly, so these are straws that poke out.
    Note
  2. 6
    starlingnounarchaic
    A starling, a small dark bird with shiny, spotted feathers.
    Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–5

From an old English word 'starian' meaning to stare, going back to a root meaning to be fixed or stiff.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

  • Stare derives from Old English starian, meaning ‘to stare’. en.wiktionary.org
  • The word ultimately derives from a root expressing fixedness or stiffness. en.wiktionary.org
Meaning 6

From an old English word 'stær' meaning starling, the name of a bird.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts