1 gaze | Definition of gaze

gaze

verb
\ ˈgāz How to pronounce gaze (audio) \
gazed; gazing

Definition of gaze

 (Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to fix the eyes in a steady intent look often with eagerness or studious attention gazed out the window at the snow

gaze

noun

Definition of gaze (Entry 2 of 2)

: a fixed intent look

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Other Words from gaze

Verb

gazer noun

Synonyms for gaze

Synonyms: Verb

blink, gape, gawk, gawp [chiefly British], goggle, peer, rubberneck, stare

Synonyms: Noun

aspect [archaic], eye, gape, regard, scrutiny, stare

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Choose the Right Synonym for gaze

Verb

gaze, stare, and glare mean to look at with concentration. gaze is used of a long and fixed look. They stood gazing at the sunset. stare is used of an often curious, rude, or absentminded gaze with eyes wide open. He stared in surprise at the strange creature. glare means an angry stare. The teacher glared at the naughty children.

Examples of gaze in a Sentence

Verb

He gazed out the window at the snow. She gazed intently into his eyes.

Noun

She looked at him with a calm, steady gaze. suddenly aware of her admiring gaze, he became self-conscious and uncomfortable
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Hovenweep was designated as an International Dark Sky Park in 2014 by the International Dark-Sky Association, recognized for its striking night skies and star-gazing opportunities. Washington Post, "Oil drilling plan near Utah monument draws tribal opposition," 9 Sep. 2019 The ironic navel-gazing came naturally to those melancholy artist characters. Los Angeles Times, "Review: At the Getty Villa, Sophocles gets wounded in Aaron Posner’s revamp of ‘Philoctetes’," 6 Sep. 2019 Fashion’s navel-gazing obsession with logos continues. Carla Guler, Harper's BAZAAR, "The 8 Fall Trends to Shop Now," 14 Aug. 2019 Too often, maybe as a result of our own navel-gazing, we position events in an athlete’s career—a win, a loss, a setback or, yes, an injury—as life-changing. Albert Breer, SI.com, "Andrew Luck on What His Long Injury Layoff Taught Him—About Football and Life," 1 Aug. 2019 And, on Moon Day, July 20, there will be indoor and outdoor demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., including telescope-gazing, balloon rocket-launching and space program artifact-viewing. Amy Schwabe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "What to do when there's nothing to do: Here are ideas for bored kids in the Milwaukee area.," 10 July 2019 Soon enough the Walkman was a symbol of navel-gazing self-absorption. Clive Thompson, Smithsonian, "The Walkman’s Invention 40 Years Ago Launched a Cultural Revolution," 9 July 2019 Named after the wormwood herb that grew wild there, the town had a modest population, a river that ran clear, and open land for camping and star-gazing. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, "Nikita Khrushchev’s Son Watched his Father Lose the Space Race. 50 Years After the Moon Landing, He Holds No Grudge," 2 July 2019 Related Articles There is a hyper-meta quality to this documentary that will probably appeal to fans of navel-gazing conceptual art — or just devilishly pointed black humor. Michael O'sullivan, Twin Cities, "A conceptual artist pops a brilliant (but ghoulish) question in ‘The Proposal’," 20 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The film has a noble cause — but after a while, the loving gaze of the camera starts to feel perverse. Jenna Wortham, New York Times, "White Filmmakers Addressing (or Avoiding) Whiteness Onscreen," 29 Aug. 2019 Her subjects are mainly women of color lounging in domestic spaces usually nude, a nuanced stab at the white male gaze in art history creating paintings and sculptures of nude women. Kiara Ventura, Teen Vogue, "Artist Mónica Hernández On Her Art, Upbringing, and Exploring Taboos in Latinx Communities," 23 Aug. 2019 Right from the start, something curious is happening with the male gaze. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, "The Endless, Grisly Fascination of Richard Strauss’s “Salome”," 21 Aug. 2019 Centered between the virginal chalice on the one hand and the voluptuous citrons on the other, the dark, bottomless, pucker invites what is sometimes known as the male gaze. Jonathan Gold, Los Angeles Times, "The oranges that enraptured a millionaire," 18 July 2019 Those who do appear are scrutinised with the male gaze. The Economist, "For women, running is still an act of defiance," 28 June 2019 Concerted efforts are being made to give greater visibility to female writers, directors, and characters, and to do away with the male gaze. Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, "Dear woke India, where were you before Kabir Singh?," 28 June 2019 From their families, from their troubled pasts, from the compromising gaze of a cottage industry that follows Kennedys around relentlessly, like a rabid, hungry wolf. Kevin Cullen, BostonGlobe.com, "Courtney Kennedy and Paul Hill’s enduring agony," 3 Aug. 2019 In other words, Lean Cuisines would still be lean, because they are mandated by decades of tradition and by the gaze of the government (which has pierced the company before), but women should not feel that this is on purpose, or the point. Kaitlyn Tiffany, Vox, "Lean Cuisine doesn’t want to be part of diet culture anymore. Does it have a choice?," 24 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gaze.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of gaze

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1566, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for gaze

Verb

Middle English

Noun

derivative of gaze entry 1

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More Definitions for gaze

gaze

verb

English Language Learners Definition of gaze

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: to look at someone or something in a steady way and usually for a long time

gaze

noun

English Language Learners Definition of gaze (Entry 2 of 2)

: a long and steady look

gaze

verb
\ ˈgāz How to pronounce gaze (audio) \
gazed; gazing

Kids Definition of gaze

 (Entry 1 of 2)