stare down

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

To overcome or make uncomfortable by staring intently.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

chiến thắng hoặc làm khó chịu bằng cách nhìn chăm chú

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

“Homer’s Triple Bypass” has the potential to be the most depressing episode in the history of The Simpsons, if not television as whole. It is, after all, about a 36-year-old husband and father staring down death and the prospect of leaving his wife a young widow and his small children fatherless.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “stare down” mean?

To overcome or make uncomfortable by staring intently.

Is “stare down” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.