staring

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈstɛɹɪŋ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈstɛəɹɪŋ/
• Rhymes: -ɛəɹɪŋ

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staring

1. present participle and gerund of stare

staring (plural starings)

1. The act of one who stares.
   • 1852, Herman Melville, Pierre; or, The Ambiguities:

     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 […]

staring (comparative more staring, superlative most staring)

1. Shining; vivid, garish. [from 14th c.]
2. Looking fixedly with wide-open eyes. [from 15th c.]
3. (obsolete) Sensational, lurid. [18th–19th c.]
   • 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, III.vi.8:

     “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.”

• Garstin, Gartins, gastrin, gratins, ratings, tarings, tringas