From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstarestare1 /steə $ ster/ ●●● S3 W2 verb [intransitive] 1 LOOK ATto look at something or someone for a long time without moving your eyes, for example because you are surprised, angry, or boredstare at What are you staring at?stare (at somebody) in disbelief/amazement/horror etc She stared at me in disbelief. She sat there staring into space (=looking for a long time at nothing).► see thesaurus at look2 → be staring somebody in the face → stark staring mad at stark2(2)COLLOCATIONSadverbsstare hard/intently (=very steadily, with a lot of attention)She stared hard at him for a moment.stare fixedly (=without moving your head or eyes)Harry stared fixedly out of the window.stare blankly (=without emotion, understanding, or interest)Lucy stared blankly at the teacher.stare unseeingly/blindly literary (=not noticing anything, although your eyes are open)She sat down on the bed and stared unseeingly at the wall.stare vacantly (=seeming not to notice or be thinking anything)Mum was staring vacantly at the fire.stare moodily (=rather unhappily)He was staring moodily into his glass.phrasesstare in disbelief/horror/amazement etcHilary stared in disbelief at the kitchen clock.stare into space (=look for a long time at nothing)Jo's always lying on the sofa staring into space. → stare somebody out→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
stare• Some children scattered, turning to stare.• Dragan stared and felt his head burning.• Why are you staring at me like that?• Then you usually lie there just staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything that could go wrong.• She stared at the page for several minutes, trying to understand.• Ron kept silent and stared down at his food.• Fenton stood tall and stared down the gunmen.• Donna stared in horror as the man fell to the floor.• She was staring in pain at the sick horse.• He was silent around her; he sat reading Bible commentaries and writing his sermons and staring into the fire.• Clayt drew up his shoulders and stared into the middle distance, as though he were finished.• When he's depressed, he just sits there, staring off into space.• Everyone turned to look at him, and he stared stonily back.• He leaned against the rood screen and stared up at his newly repaired roof.• It's not polite to stare, you know.stare at• Zach stared at him in disbelief.starestare2 ●●○ noun [countable] LOOK ATwhen you look at something or someone for a long time in a steady way She gave him a long hard stare. She laughed, ignoring the stares of everyone around her. His pleas were met by a blank stare (=a stare with no expression, understanding, or interest).COLLOCATIONSverbsgive somebody a stareDoyle gave her a long stare.fix somebody with a stare literary (=stare at someone)He fixed her with a cool stare.return somebody’s stare (=stare back at them)I returned his stare and he looked away.meet somebody’s stare (=look back at them)Alan met Susan’s outraged stare calmly.adjectivesa hard stare (=very steady, with a lot of attention)As he passed, he gave us a hard stare.a long stareThe man fixed him with a long, deliberate stare.a blank stare (=showing no emotion, understanding, or interest)Mention his name, and you get mostly blank stares.a vacant stare (=seeming not to notice or be thinking anything)She was gazing out of the window with a vacant stare.a fixed/unwavering/unblinking stare (=with your eyes not moving at all)His unwavering stare was making me feel pretty uneasy.a cold/stony stare (=unfriendly)I smiled and said "hello" but only got a cold stare.a cool stare (=calm)When I expressed surprise, he responded with a cool stare.curious staresThey ignored the curious stares directed at them. Examples from the Corpus
stare• Up and down with giggles and stares.• The suspect was described as having a blank stare after the shooting spree.• The women raked us with their cold stares as Clarisa rose, picked Janir up and carried him off.• Charles didn't reply. He just gave his daughter an icy stare.• The person sitting on the low wall did not move, even when Pol cast a meaningful stare in its direction.• Their argument attracted the stares of passing shoppers.• With this stare, I thee covet.• Ruth saw a green trail of cloaks, light striking from silver helmets, and a cold transfixing stare.blank stare• But ask them when fund shareholders should sell their funds, and you get a blank stare.• Poindexter gave him a blank stare.• All he got in return was a blank stare and a cloud of fresh cigar smoke.• He hated Pops's blank stares.• As his eyes adjusted to the dimness he began to feel dominated by the blank stares of the plaster martyrs.• Julie found herself drawn almost hypnotically to the blank stares.Origin stare1 Old English starian 