gaze
GAYZ
/ɡeɪz/
To look steadily and intently, especially in admiration, surprise, or thought.
Implies a prolonged, steady look that is often dreamy, admiring, or deeply thoughtful, rather than aggressive.
The story behind the word. Dating back to Middle English 'gasen', this word is likely of Scandinavian origin, related to Swedish words meaning 'to stare'. Unlike a brief glance, a gaze has always represented a prolonged, often dreamy or deep look of wonder.
Word relationships
- stare: Stare can be cold, rude, or blank, whereas gaze is typically warm, thoughtful, or filled with wonder.
- peer: Peer implies looking closely or with difficulty, while gaze is a relaxed, steady look.
- glance: A glance is a very brief, rapid look, whereas a gaze is long and steady.
Commonly confused with
- graze: Graze means to feed on grass or to scrape the skin lightly, while gaze means to look steadily.
Word family
- gazer (noun): A person who gazes.
Collocations
- gaze intently
- starry-eyed gaze
- gaze into space
Example sentences
- "They sat on the beach for hours, content to gaze at the endless horizon as the sun slowly set." Watching a sunset on vacation.
Memory hook
When you gaze, you look at the stars through the haze. Eyes locked in wonder.
When not to use
Do not use when describing a quick, brief look (which is a glance) or an aggressive, rude look (which is a stare).
Fun facts
- The concept of the 'gaze' is highly important in film theory and psychology, where terms like the 'male gaze' or 'spectatorial gaze' analyze how audiences view characters on screen.
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