gaze

1 of 2

verb

gazed; gazing; gazes

intransitive verb

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

gaze

2 of 2

noun

plural gazes
1
: a fixed intent look
a steady gaze
He fixed his gaze out the window.
She lowered/dropped/raised her gaze.
I met his gaze. [=I looked back at him.]
2
: the collective preferences and expectations of a usually privileged social group especially when imposed as a standard or norm on other groups
In 1973, British feminist film writer Laura Mulvey wrote a seminal essay called "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema", which explored how mainstream films appealed to a male gaze—a term she coined—because the industry was dominated by men who, inevitably, constructed representations of women from a masculine point of view.Kerrie O'Brien
So few slots are available for nonwhite writers that those who break through are sometimes themselves charged with … exaggerating elements of their culture for a white gaze; living up to the image that white writers have created for them, the easier to be packaged and sold.Ligaya Mishan
It looks like a gentle scene of a seaside vacation. But this painting by Berthe Morisot, perhaps the most underrated Impressionist, is a layered vision of a dawning modern age and a rare glimpse at the 19th-century female gaze.Natasha Frost

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
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
But surely Mandy must have spent some time, during that night, gazing at the dim square of the bedroom skylight and thinking about the girl sleeping on the fold-out, who had been so unabashed about changing that Mandy had seen her young, buoyant breasts. Fiona McFarlane, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 And above this is a large square window through which a person relaxing in the soaking tub of the primary bathroom next door can gaze at the greenery. Max Berlinger, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 People should never gaze directly at the sun during a solar eclipse, even when the sun is partly or mostly covered by the moon. Denise Chow, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024 This spring, all eyes will gaze upward as the moon passes between the sun and earth, a celestial alignment best known as a total solar eclipse. Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2024 Unlike other solar eclipses, a total eclipse offers spectators a chance to gaze upon the spectacular sight with the naked eye after the orbiting moon completely blocks out the sun's light, leaving only the outermost layer visible. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2024 Whether gazing in rapt widescreen across wondrous ancient structures, ruined recent cityscapes or the oceanic shift and shake of a stone quarry in action, this is blatantly dazzling, epic-scale filmmaking that nonetheless invites viewers to consider the implications of our awe. Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024 His mother stands in the foreground, gazing at the camera. Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024 Elsa gazes at the not-so-little baby with intrigue. Julia Daye, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024
Noun
Big Chinese e-commerce platforms including AliExpress and Temu have fallen under the steely gaze of South Korea’s data-protection watchdog. David Meyer, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 Suddenly, the dancers throw themselves protectively around the boy as a flash of light momentarily floods the stage and the ballet winds back to the moment of death; the boy falls to the floor and the father drops to his knees, takes the boy’s hand, and steadies his gaze. Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 The bull settles his gaze on Catalino and stomps the ground, shooting dust into the air. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 Brokeback Mountain makes great use of Gyllenhaal's inherent romanticism, utilizing his loving gaze at every possible juncture as the outgoing Jack. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Challenge The White Gaze The white gaze has trickled into corporate America. Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The image is a sultry black-and-white photo of the two stars, with Lambert casting her gaze down and Iglesias looking into the camera. Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024 The woman, her gaze: turned to face the outside, looking outward. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 Marks and Kondo neither soften their depiction of customs unavoidably extreme to the modern gaze, like the shocking frequency of ritual suicide, nor treat Blackthorne as a privileged source of judgment or insight. Alison Herman, Variety, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gaze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English

Noun

derivative of gaze entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gaze was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near gaze

Cite this Entry

“Gaze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaze. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gaze

verb
ˈgāz
gazed; gazing
: to fix the eyes in a steady intent look
gaze noun
gazer noun

Medical Definition

gaze

intransitive verb
gazed; gazing
: to fix the eyes in a steady and intent look
gaze noun

More from Merriam-Webster on gaze

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