stare

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stare / ste(ə)r/ • v. [intr.] look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something with one's eyes wide open: he stared at her in amazement Robin sat staring into space, her mind numb. ∎  (of a person's eyes) be wide open, with a fixed or vacant expression: her gray eyes stared back at him. ∎  [intr.] (of a thing) be unpleasantly prominent or striking: the obituaries stared out at us. ∎  [tr.] (stare someone into) reduce someone to (a specified condition) by looking fixedly at them: Sandra stared him into silence.• n. a long fixed or vacant look: she gave him a cold stare.PHRASES: be staring something in the face be on the verge of something inevitable or inescapable: our team was staring defeat in the face.stare someone in the eye (or face) look fixedly or boldly at someone.stare someone in the face be glaringly apparent or obvious: the answer had been staring him in the face.PHRASAL VERBS: stare someone down look fixedly at someone until they feel forced to lower their eyes or turn away.DERIVATIVES: star·er n.