as in to stare
to take a look with the eyes narrowed (as because of difficulty seeing)
He squinted in her direction, but couldn't make her out with the sun behind her.
Related Words
Relevance
1
as in strabismus
British
difficulty in seeing resulting from improper alignment of the eyes
The child was born with a squint that was eventually corrected through surgery.
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of squint
Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
The answer is yes, though fans might have to squint really hard to see some, but not all, of the positives.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Byrne has never been better, sharper, or more intimidating as a screen presence, carrying the movie with squints and frowns.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squint
Verb
Roughly 65% of the population sleeps on their side, and research shows that habit creates a specific type of facial aging that’s entirely separate from the lines caused by smiling or squinting.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
The answer is yes, though fans might have to squint really hard to see some, but not all, of the positives.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
And in a third, the gaunt 30-year-old killer flexes, purses his lips and squints.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Byrne has never been better, sharper, or more intimidating as a screen presence, carrying the movie with squints and frowns.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squint
Verb
-
For a few seconds, everyone at Progressive Field — players, umpires, fans, cotton candy vendors — stared at the video board, awaiting the handy diagram that would determine whether the Cleveland Guardians’ lead was in jeopardy.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The couple sat in a vestibule inside the Aurora immigration detention facility on a Saturday in March, staring at each other through the glass barrier separating the incarcerated from the free.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Barrel Cards The barrel card exercise can help improve symptoms of strabismus (crossed eyes).—
Laura Schober,
Health,
12 Feb. 2025
-
One of his conditions, strabismus,has also been reported by researchers to be behind the genius of Leonardo da Vinci, allowing the painter to perceive the world differently and facilitating his accurate depiction of three-dimensional objects on flat surfaces.—
Maya Davis,
CNN,
4 Aug. 2024
Noun
-
The media company behind such iconic TV characters as Don Draper, Rick Grimes and Walter White wants advertisers to give a stronger gaze at first looks.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Relax your gaze, Magic Eye style, and move quietly.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Watching the House chamber from the viewing gallery before the speech was like peering into a garden party from above.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
-
By peering through thick veils of gas and dust, radio astronomers have been able to watch young binary stars orbit around one another in the heart of star-forming clouds — and, in the process, have revealed the stars' masses.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For users with astigmatism, the solution is less straightforward: the company plans to release an external prescription lens frame that can be fitted with custom lenses at an optical store.—
Maryna Holovnova,
New Atlas,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Benjamin Franklin would invent bifocals in 1874, Thomas Young would spot the uneven curvature of the cornea (astigmatism) in 1801, and steel wire would be developed in metal frames after 1837.—
Daniel Fusch,
Ascend Agency,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
This provided a comfort blanket and a lead that Chelsea and Liverpool, unable to shift the glare of scrutiny away from themselves, couldn’t replicate.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
But noise, as well as glare, are typically buffered with vegetative landscaping and setbacks, or the distance between the property line and the nearest structure.—
Anna Clark,
ProPublica,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The hungry yet uninitiated may enter the new 1986 Steak House, glance around and wonder whose likeness that is on the wall.—
Connie Ogle,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
With the Mets playing their infield in, Johnston's sharp grounder in the seventh glanced off second baseman Marcus Semien's glove for a two-run single.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Arve Henriksen’s trumpet is a celestial contrast to the vocals’ groundedness, a floater at the edge of the song’s smoky peripheral vision.—
Linnie Greene,
Pitchfork,
29 Apr. 2026
-
What do any of these throwaway lines actually illustrate about Homelander’s project of using the entertainment industry to sell his traditionalist vision of America?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squint. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
