Squinting
/ˈskwɪntɪŋ/
verbadjectiveB1present participle
Definition
Squinting is the action of closing your eyes a little bit, usually to see something more clearly or to protect your eyes from bright light. It can also describe someone who is doing this action right now.
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See It in Action
To partly close the eyes to see better or because of bright light
- •She was squinting at the small print in the book.
- •He squinted against the bright sunlight.
- •The child was squinting to see the tiny details on the screen.
Describing someone who is currently doing this action
- •The squinting man looked carefully at the distant object.
- •I saw her squinting as she tried to read the sign.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "squinting" like "looking," but with your eyes almost closed to see better or avoid bright light
- ✓Picture someone trying to read a small sign far away or looking into the sun with their eyes half shut
- ✓It's the feeling when the sun is too bright and you try to protect your eyes by narrowing them
- ✓Sounds like "squint" → imagine squeezing your eyes like a small "squeeze" to focus better
- ✓Imagine a cartoon character shading their eyes with one hand and squinting to see far away
- ✓NOT like "stare" (eyes wide open and fixed), squinting means eyes are partly closed to help see better or protect from light
- ✓NOT like "blink" (quick closing and opening), squinting is holding eyes partly closed for some time
Try Other Words
- •Peer: to look closely or carefully (Use when someone looks hard to see something, less about eye closing)
- •Blink: to close and open eyes quickly (Use when focusing on the quick action of eye closing, not for seeing better)
- •Narrow one's eyes: to partly close eyes, often showing suspicion or concentration (Use when describing emotion or focus)
- •Look closely: general phrase for trying to see something well (Use in simple contexts without eye action focus)
Unboxing
- •Prefix/root/suffix: "squint" (root verb meaning to partly close eyes) + "-ing" (suffix showing ongoing action)
- •Etymology: From Old English "squinten," meaning to look with partly closed eyes
- •Historical development: Used since the 1500s to describe the action of partly closing eyes to see better
- •Modern usage: Commonly used to describe the action of narrowing eyes to see clearly or avoid bright light, both literally and sometimes figuratively (like "squinting at a problem")
Reflect & Connect
•When do you find yourself squinting the most, and why do you think that happens?
•How does squinting change the way you see things or how others see you?
Fill in the blanks
1.People often start squinting when the sun is ___ too bright to see clearly.
2.She was squinting at the small text because her eyes were ___.
3.Unlike staring with open eyes, squinting involves ___ closing the eyes partly.
4.When you are squinting, your eyes are not fully closed like when you ___.
5.He kept squinting ___ the distance to find his friend in the crowd.
6.Squinting can help you see better when something is far away or ___.
7.If someone is squinting, you can guess that the light is ___ or the object is hard to see.