squint

English

Etymology

Derived from asquint (“obliquely, with a sidelong glance”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /skwɪnt/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪnt

Verb

Man squinting (sense 1)

Child squinting (sense 2)

A person with strabismus (sense 3)

squint (third-person singular simple present squints, present participle squinting, simple past and past participle squinted)

2. (intransitive) To look with the eyes partly closed, as in bright sunlight, or as a threatening expression.

   The children squinted to frighten each other.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; […]. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache.

4. (intransitive) To look or glance sideways.
6. (intransitive) To look with, or have eyes that are turned in different directions; to suffer from strabismus.
7. (intransitive, figurative) To have an indirect bearing, reference, or implication; to have an allusion to, or inclination towards, something.
   • 1887, The Forum:

     Yet if the following sentence means anything, it is a squinting toward hypnotism.

8. (intransitive, Scotland) To be not quite straight, off-centred; to deviate from a true line; to run obliquely.
9. (transitive) To turn to an oblique position; to direct obliquely.

   to squint an eye

Synonyms

• skelly

Derived terms

• squint-a-pipes
• squinting modifier
• squint like a bag of nails

 

Translations

to look with the eyes partly closed, as in bright sunlight

• Armenian: կկոցել (hy) (kkocʻel)
• Azerbaijani: qıymaq
• Bulgarian: присвивам очи (prisvivam oči)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 眯 (zh) (mī) (traditional also 瞇／眯 (zh) (mī)), 眯縫 (zh) (mīfeng), 乜斜 (zh) (miēxie)

• Czech: mhouřit, mžourat
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} ogen dichtknijpen , ^{(please verify)} gluren (nl)
• Finnish: siristää (fi); siristellä (fi) (repeatedly)
• French: plisser les yeux (fr)
• German: blinzeln (de), die Augen zusammenkneifen
• Greek:

  Ancient: στραβίζω (strabízō)

• Hungarian: hunyorít (hu), hunyorog (hu)
• Italian: socchiudere gli occhi
• Japanese: 目を細めて見る (me-o hosomete miru)
• Maori: keko, keo, kōnewhanewha
• Norman: r'garder gare (Jersey), vaie d'travèrs (Jersey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: myse, plire, glire

  Nynorsk: myse, plire, glire

• Polish: mrużyć oczy impf
• Portuguese: semicerrar os olhos
• Romanian: chiorî (ro)
• Russian: щу́риться (ru) impf (ščúritʹsja), прищу́риться (ru) pf (priščúritʹsja), жму́риться (ru) impf (žmúritʹsja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: жми̏ркати impf, шки́љити impf

  Roman: žmȉrkati (sh) impf, škíljiti (sh) impf

• Spanish: entornar (es), entrecerrar (es) (los ojos)
• Swedish: kisa (sv)
• Ukrainian: мружити impf (mružyty), жмурити impf (žmuryty)
• Yiddish: זשמורען (zhmuren), מרוזשען (mruzhen), פּינטלען (pintlen)

to look or glance sideways

• Bulgarian: гледам изкосо (gledam izkoso)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 斜視／斜视 (zh) (xiéshì)

• Dutch: loensen (nl)
• Finnish: vilkaista sivulle; vilkuilla (repeatedly)
• French: loucher (fr)
• German: schielen (de)
• Hebrew: פָּזַל (he) (pazál)
• Hungarian: sandít (hu), ferdén néz
• Italian: strabicare
• Maori: kārepa, karapa
• Norman: vaie d'travèrs (Jersey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skotte (no)

• Portuguese: olhar de soslaio
• Russian: смотре́ть и́скоса impf (smotrétʹ ískosa), коси́ться (ru) impf (kosítʹsja), покоси́ться (ru) pf (pokosítʹsja)
• Spanish: mirar de soslayo
• Swedish: snegla (sv)

to look with, or have eyes that are turned in different directions

• Azerbaijani: qıymaq
• Bulgarian: кривоглед съм (krivogled sǎm)
• Czech: šilhat
• Dutch: scheelkijken
• Esperanto: strabi
• Finnish: katsoa kieroon (fi), karsastaa (fi)
• French: loucher (fr)
• German: schielen (de)
• Greek: αλληθωρίζω (el) (allithorízo)
• Hebrew: פָּזַל (he) (pazál)
• Hungarian: bandzsít (hu), kancsalít (hu)
• Irish: fiarshúil a bheith ionat
• Norman: vaie d'travèrs (Jersey)
• Old English: *sċīelan
• Ottoman Turkish: شاشیلامق (şaşılamak)
• Polish: zezować (pl)
• Portuguese: vesguear (pt)
• Russian: коси́ть (ru) impf (kosítʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: claon, fiar, spleuchd
• Spanish: bizquear (es)
• Swedish: skela (sv)

to be not quite straight

• Finnish: olla vinossa, olla kiero
• French: louvoyer (fr)

to turn to an oblique position

• Finnish: vetää kieroon, kääntää vinoon

Noun

squint (plural squints)

1. An expression in which the eyes are partly closed.
2. The look of eyes which are turned in different directions, as in strabismus.

   He looks handsome although he's got a slight squint.

4. A quick or sideways glance.
5. (informal) A short look; a peep.
   • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[[Episode 12: The Cyclops]]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:

     —And here she is, says Alf, that was giggling over the Police Gazette with Terry on the counter, in all her warpaint.
     —Give us a squint at her, says I.

6. A hagioscope.
7. (radio transmission) The angle by which the transmission signal is offset from the normal of a phased array antenna.

Derived terms

• leper's squint
• squintless
• squinty

Translations

expression in which the eyes are partly closed

• Dutch: gluren (nl)
• Finnish: silmät sirrissä
• French: plissement des yeux m
• German: Schielen n
• Hungarian: hunyorítás (hu), hunyorgás (hu)
• Polish: zmrużenie (pl) n, mrużenie (pl) n
• Russian: при́щур (ru) m (príščur)

look of eyes which are turned in different directions, like in strabismus

• Bulgarian: кривогледство n (krivogledstvo)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 斜視／斜视 (zh) (xiéshì)

• Dutch: scheelkijken n
• Finnish: karsastus (fi)
• French: strabisme (fr) m
• German: Strabismus m, Schielen n
• Hungarian: bandzsítás (hu), kancsalság (hu)
• Irish: fiarshúil f
• Japanese: 斜視 (ja) (しゃし, shashi), 藪睨み (ja) (やぶにらみ, yabunirami)
• Malayalam: കോങ്കണ്ണ് (ml) (kōṅkaṇṇŭ)
• Ottoman Turkish: شاشیلق (şaşılık)
• Polish: zez (pl) m
• Portuguese: vesguice f, estrabismo (pt)
• Russian: косогла́зие (ru) n (kosoglázije)
• Spanish: estrabismo (es) m
• Turkish: şaşılık (tr)

quick or sideways glance

• Finnish: vilkaisu
• French: coup d’oeil (fr)
• Hungarian: sandítás (hu)
• Japanese: 一瞥 (ja) (いちべつ, ichibetsu)
• Occitan: ulhada f
• Portuguese: olhar de soslaio m
• Russian: косо́й взгля́д m (kosój vzgljád)

short look

• Bulgarian: бегъл поглед m (begǎl pogled)
• Finnish: vilkaisu
• French: coup d’oeil (fr) m
• Occitan: ulhada f

hagioscope — see hagioscope

offset angle of transmission

Adjective

squint

1. Looking obliquely; having the vision distorted.
2. (Scotland) askew, not level

Derived terms

• squint-eyed

 

Related terms

• cross-eyed

Anagrams

• quints