gaze

verb

/ɡeɪz/

[intransitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they gaze	/ɡeɪz/ /ɡeɪz/
he / she / it gazes	/ˈɡeɪzɪz/ /ˈɡeɪzɪz/
past simple gazed	/ɡeɪzd/ /ɡeɪzd/
past participle gazed	/ɡeɪzd/ /ɡeɪzd/
-ing form gazing	/ˈɡeɪzɪŋ/ /ˈɡeɪzɪŋ/

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+ adv./prep. to look steadily at somebody/something for a long time, either because you are very interested or surprised, or because you are thinking of something else synonym stare
- She gazed at him in amazement.
- He sat for hours just gazing into space.
Synonyms stare
stare
- gaze
- peer
- glare
These words all mean to look at somebody/something for a long time.
- stare to look at somebody/something for a long time, especially with surprise or fear, or because you are thinking:
  I screamed and everyone stared.
- gaze (rather formal) to look steadily at somebody/something for a long time, especially with surprise or love, or because you are thinking:
  We all gazed at Marco in amazement.
- peer to look closely or carefully at something, especially when you cannot see it clearly
- glare to look angrily at somebody/something for a long time:
  I looked at her and she glared stonily back.
Patterns
- to stare/gaze/peer/glare at somebody/something
- to stare/gaze/peer/glare suspiciously
- to stare/gaze/peer anxiously/intently
- to stare/gaze/glare wildly/fiercely
Extra Examples
- Every one gazed at her beautiful jewels.
- He gazed absently at the passing crowd.
- He gazed out over the lake.
- They gazed in wonder at the mighty peaks.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- intently
- steadily
- absently
- …
preposition
- at
- in
- into
- …
See full entry
Word Originlate Middle English: perhaps related to obsolete gaw ‘to gaze’, from Old Norse gá ‘heed’.

gaze

noun

/ɡeɪz/

[usually singular]

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a long, steady look at somebody/something
- He met her gaze (= looked at her while she looked at him).
- She dropped her gaze (= stopped looking).
- In his last years, he lived almost entirely secluded from the public gaze (= away from public attention).
Synonyms look
look
- glance
- gaze
- stare
- glimpse
- glare
These are all words for an act of looking, when you turn your eyes in a particular direction.
- look an act of looking at somebody/something:
  Here, have a look at this.
- glance a quick look:
  She stole a glance at her watch.
- gaze a long, steady look at somebody/something:
  She felt embarrassed under his steady gaze.
- stare a long look at somebody/something, especially in a way that is unfriendly or that shows surprise:
  She gave the officer a blank stare and shrugged her shoulders.
- glimpse a look at somebody/something for a very short time, when you do not see the person or thing completely:
  He caught a glimpse of her in the crowd.
- glare a long, angry look at somebody/something:
  She fixed her questioner with a hostile glare.
Patterns
- a look/glance at somebody/something
- a penetrating/piercing look/glance/gaze/stare
- a long look/glance/stare
- a brief look/glance/glimpse
- to have/get/take a look/glance/glimpse
- to avoid somebody’s glance/gaze/stare
Extra Examples
- He blushed under her angry gaze.
- He turned his gaze on me.
- Her gaze fell on Kate's tousled hair.
- Her gaze followed Simon's through the archway.
- His gaze flickered an instant.
- I followed her gaze and spotted a new arrival at the far side of the room.
- Rebecca's gaze rested on the child thoughtfully.
- She avoided his gaze.
- They fixed their gaze on the dark line of the coast ahead.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- direct
- fixed
- level
- …
verb + gaze
- direct
- fix (somebody with)
- focus
- …
gaze + verb
- drift
- flick
- flicker
- …
preposition
- under somebody’s gaze
See full entry
Word Originlate Middle English: perhaps related to obsolete gaw ‘to gaze’, from Old Norse gá ‘heed’.