as in peering
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.
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Recent Examples of squinting
Whether 2026 is the year, or just the year fans started squinting at the schedule, is the watercooler question worth holding onto until that first Monday in May.
—
Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
The family smiles while dressed casually and barefoot, squinting from the sun's rays.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Eventually, people could not resist returning to their lives, to routines more comfortable than standing in the streets with the sun glaring in your eyes, squinting up to check the position of snipers on a roof, or working with cramping fingers sewing your tenth mask of the night.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Most people have been there, squinting at a chart from their physician's portal with zero context.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Needless to say, there was much squinting at computer screens.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
The comic spent some minutes zooming in on and squinting at the photo, putting his hand on his head to ascertain the resemblance.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
And squinting is not necessary to see a vision for him.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2026
Those last 20 minutes are pretty engaging, even if some of that engagement is squinting to see and interpret what’s going on.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
The family smiles while dressed casually and barefoot, squinting from the sun's rays.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Eventually, people could not resist returning to their lives, to routines more comfortable than standing in the streets with the sun glaring in your eyes, squinting up to check the position of snipers on a roof, or working with cramping fingers sewing your tenth mask of the night.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Most people have been there, squinting at a chart from their physician's portal with zero context.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Needless to say, there was much squinting at computer screens.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
The comic spent some minutes zooming in on and squinting at the photo, putting his hand on his head to ascertain the resemblance.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
And squinting is not necessary to see a vision for him.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2026
Those last 20 minutes are pretty engaging, even if some of that engagement is squinting to see and interpret what’s going on.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squinting
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
-
That's a lot of late nights and early mornings staring at the sky.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
What Jaafar does amounts to an elaborate impression instead of an interpretation, re-creating the voice and the famous choreography and otherwise staring blankly into the middle distance when called upon to transmit emotions.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Illustrations by Thomas Merceron Even glancing contact between a passenger car and a semi truck is often enough to send the smaller vehicle pinwheeling across the highway.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The pup can be seen glancing around his kennel with teary eyes, appearing scared and confused.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Heidi did it in back-to-back months without even blinking.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The lights offer eight modes, including seven blinking options and one steady setting.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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An extremely nosy alligator was found sitting on the porch of a coastal North Carolina home, peeping through the glass storm door, photos show.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Apr. 2026
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During fall leaf-peeping season, traffic on the pass has to be regulated.—
Jonathan Shikes,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One untitled work from 1994 shows a strange monster—a guard bent over, gazing back at us between his own legs, his upside-down grin framed by his jackboots.—
Ben Davis,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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Even without a treatment booking, guests may cycle through the hydrotherapy circuit—steam, sauna, hot and cold plunge—while gazing at city panoramas.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squinting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squinting. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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