staring

[ stair-ing ]

adjective

1. gazing fixedly and intently, especially with the eyes wide open:

   Standing in front of Jane’s staring face, Ravi lifted the conch shell above his head and smashed it into a hundred pieces on the floor.

2. boldly, inescapably, or obnoxiously conspicuous; glaring:

   Whenever I dwell on my own shortcomings, they begin to seem mild and harmless, not at all like the staring defects in other people's characters.

adverb

1. Chiefly British. glaringly or conspicuously; thoroughly (often preceded by stark ):

   This "borrow and spend" policy is stark staring bonkers.

Other Words From

• star·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of staring¹

star(e) ( def ) + -ing ²( def )

Example Sentences

And there, staring at us off the shelf, was Feathers McGraw, who people had often asked if he’s ever going to return.”

From Los Angeles Times

Then 13, and I’m just staring at this cake, wishing I was anywhere but there.

From Los Angeles Times

Dr. Zeng says that he remembers staring at the log, and thinking, “Do we really need to continue this experiment?”

From NewsForKids.net

“We have two granddaughters who live over there and they were a bit perturbed by having 200 people staring at their house. But no, they were very good.”

From BBC

The night is always supposedly darkest before the dawn — and activists are now staring at a black hole seemingly larger than what they faced in 1994.

From Los Angeles Times