stare into space
Gaze at nothing
To stare into space is to look at nothing in particular, eyes unfocused, usually while lost in thought or mentally absent.
The phrase suggests someone whose attention has drifted inward: She sat at her desk staring into space, the report untouched.
It can indicate daydreaming, deep thought, or simply zoning out.
- lookDirect one's gaze
- gazeFixed, intent look
- absentmindedInattentive to immediate surroundings
- gazingProlonged, intent looking
- daydreamingIdle mental wandering
dissociate · pondering · glance · lost in thought · deep in thought · vacant · reflecting · pensive · unfocused · zone out · tuned out · drift · nothingness · detached · cosmos · meditative · liminality · wistful
stare into spaceconcentrate
Reduced, potent form
pay attention · scrutinize · study · look closely · lock eyes
stare into spacethink hard
stay alert · be present · be mindful · apply oneself · put one's mind to it
stare, stared, staring, stares, starer, into, space, spaces, spaced