staring

1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of stare

plural starings

1. The act of one who stares.

   Near-synonym: gazing

   1 more example

   Then the bewilderingness of the old starings of the solitary old man and old woman, by the cracked hearth-stone of the desolate old house, in the desolate, round, open space[…]

   1852, Herman Melville, Pierre; or, The Ambiguities

   Synonyms: gazing · Antonyms: glancing, peeking

comparative more staring · superlative most staring

1. Shining; vivid, garish.First known use 14th c.
2. Looking fixedly with wide-open eyes.First known use 15th c.
3. obsoleteSensational, lurid.First known use 18th–19th c.

   “I fear, with regard to the world in general, she is utterly incorrigible, because it has neither pleasure nor advantage to offer, that can compensate for the deprivation of relating one staring story, or ridiculous anecdote.”

   1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, III.vi.8

1. A surname.