squint

1 of 3

adjective

1
of an eye : looking or tending to look obliquely or askance (as with envy or disdain)
2
of the eyes : not having the visual axes parallel : crossed

squint

2 of 3

verb

squinted; squinting; squints

intransitive verb

1
a
: to have an indirect bearing, reference, or aim
b
: to deviate from a true line
2
a
: to look in a squint-eyed manner
b
: to be cross-eyed
c
: to look or peer with eyes partly closed

transitive verb

: to cause (an eye) to squint
squinter noun
squintingly adverb

squint

3 of 3

noun

1
2
: an instance of squinting
3
squinty adjective

Examples of squint in a Sentence

Verb She had to squint to read the small print. He squinted through the haze of smoke. I had to squint my eyes to focus on the tiny letters. I noticed that he squints. Noun Her gaze narrowed into a squint.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Dana Carvey’s Joe Biden dropped by, too, to squint and ramble before Harris shooed him off stage. Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 2 Nov. 2024 But some of those allusions to unproductive mornings and squinting unpreparedness belie an unease with the endeavor of book reviewing itself. Sloane Crosley, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
Wyler’s squint of discomfort with Penn’s manipulations soon softens into a look of impressed awe, her eyes no longer judgmental but adoring. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024 Their faces spoke louder: frowns of frustration, gasps of shock, squints of doubt, bursts of laughter, pouts of disappointment. Gerui Wang, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for squint 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

probably aphetic form of earlier a squint, going back to Middle English a squynt, in the phrase beholden (loken) a squynt "to be cross-eyed, look obliquely," from a- a- entry 1 + squynt, of uncertain origin

Note: Middle English a squynt, asquint has been compared with Dutch schuin "aslant, slantingly, askew" (unknown in Middle Dutch, first attested as schuyn "transversus, obliquus" in the Dutch-Latin dictionary of Cornelis Kiliaan, 1599), though the nature of the relationship is unclear. (Dutch schuin is paralleled by Gronings [West Low German] schuun, Low German schün, hypothetically from Germanic *skeuni-.) The form asquint is attested early, already in the Ancrene Wisse (as an addition in one manuscript, British Library Cotton Nero A.14, mid-13th century), but if a putative early Middle Dutch [sχy:n], prior to the development of the diphthong, is the source, -squint seems an unlikely outcome. Variants without t (of skwyn "on a slant," askoyn, ascoign "askance") may have a more direct relationship to Dutch schuin.

Verb

derivative of squint entry 1

Noun

derivative of squint entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1599, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

circa 1652, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of squint was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near squint

Cite this Entry

“Squint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squint. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

squint

1 of 2 verb
1
a
: to look with a side glance (as in jealousy or disdain)
b
: to be cross-eyed
2
: to look or peer with eyes partly closed
squinter noun

squint

2 of 2 noun
1
: inability to direct both eyes to the same object due to a fault of the muscles of the eyeball
2
: the act or an instance of squinting
squinty
ˈskwint-ē
adjective

Medical Definition

squint

1 of 2 intransitive verb
1
: to be cross-eyed
2
: to look or peer with eyes partly closed

squint

2 of 2 noun
1
2
: an instance or habit of squinting
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