# stare

Pronunciation: say "STAIR" US /stɛɚ/, UK /stɛə/

## Verb

1. To look fixedly at someone or something, holding the gaze steady rather than glancing away.
   - Simple: To look at someone or something for a long time without looking away.
   - _The child stared at the magician, trying to work out the trick._
   - _Strangers stare when she walks down the street in her bright costume._
3. To influence or affect someone in some way by looking fixedly at them.
   - Simple: To make someone do or feel something by looking at them in a fixed, steady way.
   - _She stared her opponent down until he finally looked away._
   - _The detective tried to stare the witness into a confession._
4. To be strikingly conspicuous because of size, prominence, color, or brilliance.
   - Simple: To be very easy to notice because of size, bright color, or shine.

## Noun

2. A persistent gaze; a long, steady look held on a person or thing.
   - Simple: A long, fixed look at someone or something.
   - _The owl's unblinking stare unsettled the hikers on the trail._
   - _He felt the stares of the other passengers as he boarded with his tuba._

## Verb

5. To stand out stiffly; to project or bristle, as rough hair or fur standing on end. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To stick out stiffly, like rough hair or an animal's fur.

## Noun

6. A starling, the small dark-feathered songbird known for gathering in large flocks. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A starling, a small dark bird with shiny, spotted feathers.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–5** — From Middle English 'staren', from Old English 'starian' ("to stare"), and further back through Proto-Germanic roots meaning "to be fixed or rigid," from a Proto-Indo-European root *ster-. It is related to Dutch 'staren', German 'starren' ("to stare"), and German 'starr' ("stiff").
**Meaning 6** — From Middle English 'star', from Old English 'stær' ("starling"), from Proto-Germanic *starô and a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "starling." It is related to German 'Star', Danish 'stær', Swedish 'stare', and Icelandic 'stari', all meaning "starling."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/stare (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).