staring down
Refusing to blink
Staring down is fixing someone with an intense, unblinking gaze until they look away—a display of dominance or intimidation.
The one who breaks eye contact first loses: She stared down the heckler until he fell silent.
Extended to confronting challenges directly: staring down a deadline, staring down your fears.
- fixatingFocusing to excess
- dominatingExercising supreme control
- defyingActively refusing obedience
- gazingProlonged, intent looking
- steely gazeIntense, unwavering look
intimidating · overcoming · challenging · glaring · confronting · resisting · asserting · unblinking · overpowering · daring · watching · outlasting · peering · showdown · pressuring · scrutinizing · sizing up · focusing
- intimidationthreats, threatening, menacing, intimidate, bullying
- dominance displaysdisplay, alpha behavior, power stance, chest puffing, baring teeth
- rudenessrude, discourtesy, impolite, rudeness, disrespect
staring downavoiding eye contact
Not meeting someone's look
looking away · glancing away · turning away · blinking first · ignoring
staring downbacking down
Withdrawing from a stance
yielding · submitting · cowering · shrinking back · deferring
staring downblinking first
Yielding in a standoff
backing down · giving in · backing off · yielding · capitulating
stare, staring, stared, stares, starer, down, downer, downs, downed