stare

Universal Words verb, noun verb [V] ~ (at sb/sth) to look at sb/sth for a long time: I screamed and everyone stared. * I stared blankly at the paper in front of me. * They stared up at the hole in the ceiling. * He sat staring into space (= looking at nothing). * She looked at them with dark staring eyes. IDIOMS be staring sb in the face 1 to be obvious or easy to see: The answer was staring us in the face. 2 to be certain to happen: Defeat was staring them in the face. be staring sth in the face to be unable to avoid sth: They were staring defeat in the face. PHRASALVERBS stare sb out (BrE) (also stare sb down especially in AmE) to look into sb's eyes for a long time until they feel embarrassed and are forced to look away noun an act of looking at sb/sth for a long time, especially in a way that is unfriendly or that shows surprise: She gave him a blank stare. * He fixed the interviewer with a penetrating stare.