Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To stare at (someone or an animal) until the person or animal blinks or turns away.
  • transitive verb To defy or confront boldly.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To stare out of countenance; face down; browbeat; outface.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To excel or overcome in staring; to face down.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb to stare at someone so hard that they look away

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb overcome or cause to waver or submit by (or as if by) staring

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Oh - and she teases the bunny rabbit there too .. no pawing, just sitting there, trying to outstare a rabbit that would (and could) probably kill her at a moments notice.

    Keep Your Cats From Destroying Your Furniture | Lifehacker Australia 2009

  • Hard men try to outstare each other, to find out who's the hardest.

    Chris Ryan's Strike Back and Timothy Spall: Somewhere at Sea 2010

  • They each gave a man-growl indicating their approval, then Johnny tried to outstare Menessos.

    Fatal Circle Linda Robertson 2010

  • The Pascalian principle that wagering on a notional truth is as good as treating it as a certainty holds for the determination we have at Cannes to outstare a basilisk movie, or to die in the attempt.

    GreenCine Daily: Weekend fests and events. 2007

  • Oh - and she teases the bunny rabbit there too.. no pawing, just sitting there, trying to outstare a rabbit that would and could probably kill her at a moments notice.

    Keep Your Cats From Destroying Your Furniture | Lifehacker Australia 2009

  • He squints into the sun, tries to outstare the sun, turns away thrilled and laughing.

    Excerpt: Loser by Jerry Spinelli 2002

  • He held a tray but did not move from where he stood and managed, without any trace of emotion, to outstare Henry, who was standing in a group, half listening to an anecdote.

    The Master Colm Tóibín 2004

  • They stood there trying to outstare each other until the girl came out of the bathroom.

    The Concrete Blonde Connelly, Michael, 1956- 1994

  • Sheep as Welsh as Brother Cadfael gazed towards the southwest, where the long ridge of Berwyn rose in the distance; long, haughty, inscrutable faces, and sharp ears, and knowing yellow eyes that could outstare a saint.

    Monk's Hood Peters, Ellis, 1913- 1992

  • They stood there trying to outstare each other until the girl came out of the bathroom.

    The Black Echo Connelly, Michael, 1956- 1992

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