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The Collaborative International Dictionary
staring

stare \stare\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. stared (st[^a]rd); p. pr. & vb. n. staring.] [AS. starian; akin to LG. & D. staren, OHG. star[=e]n, G. starren, Icel. stara; cf. Icel. stira, Dan. stirre, Sw. stirra, and G. starr stiff, rigid, fixed, Gr. stereo`s solid (E. stereo-), Skr. sthira firm, strong.

  1. To look with fixed eyes wide open, as through fear, wonder, surprise, impudence, etc.; to fasten an earnest and prolonged gaze on some object.

    For ever upon the ground I see thee stare.
    --Chaucer.

    Look not big, nor stamp, nor stare, nor fret.
    --Shak.

  2. To be very conspicuous on account of size, prominence, color, or brilliancy; as, staring windows or colors.

  3. To stand out; to project; to bristle. [Obs.]

    Makest my blood cold, and my hair to stare.
    --Shak.

    Take off all the staring straws and jags in the hive.
    --Mortimer.

    Syn: To gaze; to look earnestly. See Gaze.

Wiktionary
staring

n. The act of one who stares. vb. (present participle of stare English)

WordNet
staring

adv. with a stare; "`quoi?' asked Blanchard, staring" [syn: staringly]

staring
  1. adj. (used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder; "staring eyes" [syn: agaze]

  2. without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers; "an arrant fool"; "a complete coward"; "a consummate fool"; "a double-dyed villain"; "gross negligence"; "a perfect idiot"; "pure folly"; "what a sodding mess"; "stark staring mad"; "a thoroughgoing villain"; "utter nonsense" [syn: arrant(a), complete(a), consummate(a), double-dyed(a), everlasting(a), gross(a), perfect(a), pure(a), sodding(a), stark(a), staring(a), thoroughgoing(a), utter(a)]

Wikipedia
Staring

Staring is a prolonged gaze or fixed look. In staring, one object or person is the continual focus of visual interest, for an amount of time. Staring can be interpreted as being either hostile, or the result of intense concentration or affection. Staring behaviour can be considered a form of aggression, or an invasion of an individual's privacy. If eye contact is reciprocated, mutual staring can take the form of a battle of wills, or even a game where the loser is the person who blinks or looks away first – a staring contest.

To some extent, the meaning of a person’s staring behaviour depends upon the attributions made by the observer. Staring often occurs accidentally, when someone appears to be staring into space they may well be lost in thought, or stupefied, or simply unable to see.

Staring conceptually also implies confronting the inevitable – ‘staring death in the face’, or ‘staring into the abyss’. Group staring evokes and emphasises paranoia; such as the archetypal stranger walking into a saloon in a Western to be greeted by the stares of all the regulars. The fear of being stared at is called Scopophobia.

Usage examples of "staring".

And suddenly and most wonderfully the door of the room upstairs opened of its own accord, and as they looked up in amazement, they saw descending the stairs the muffled figure of the stranger staring more blackly and blankly than ever with those unreasonably large blue glass eyes of his.

The inspector had stopped suddenly, and was staring with a look of absolute amazement at a paper upon the table.

Filfaeril sat alone in the apse of a silent throne room, staring down a long ambulatory bounded by double-stacked arches and tall columns of fluted marble.

I remained awake, staring at the mysterious reach of the old prison that lay beyond the ninth stair, the dim white lights and anthracitic cell mouths.

The man of the scarred shoulder was staring at her strangely, as though astounded that she had come, though she had visited the Beng settlement many times before.

Gaily attired courtiers, in doublets of satin and mantles of velvet, were lounging in the balconies of the presence-chamber, staring at Jocelyn and his companions for, want of better occupation.

The foot baller was staring up at nothing through dull eyes, and his mouth hung open in the manner of death, a look that no movie could ever mimic.

Then she moved gracefully away, leaving me staring at the banyan tree but seeing nothing but the ayah coming to the house, taking over the care of Louise, growing to love the child, being excited at the prospect of another child, and in due course giving the same devotion to Alan.

Muradin was only a pace or two ahead, staring straight in front of him, teeth bared, snarling silently.

The stranger was staring at him, and there was a look in his eyes that made Barnacle turn over inside.

The Colonel was staring straight at Mister Gosling in a queer, searching kind of way that filled Barnacle with uneasiness.

The Baroness stopped in the middle of her question, staring in amazement.

Reeling, stumbling, Barranca fell into the wall and slid slowly down until he sat propped against it, staring back with a sardonic red-freckled grimace.

In the midst of all the litter de Batz at last became conscious of two people who stood staring at him and at Heron.

Now the Court Mage of Galadorna was striding wearily bedward, looking forward to some solid hours of staring up into the darkness and getting some real thinking work done on the governance of a feud-festering little kingdom.