Meaning & use
leer at
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Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitivedisapproving
to look at someone in an unpleasant, fixed way that shows sexual interest or hostility.
Grammar: Often used with at before the person: He leered at her. It can also stand alone: Stop leering.
Patterns
- leer at someone
- leer at something
The man at the bar leered at every woman who walked past.
She felt uncomfortable when the stranger leered at her from across the street.
He leered at the photograph in a way that made everyone uneasy.
Word forms
| third person singular | leers at |
|---|---|
| past tense | leered at |
| past participle | leered at |
| -ing form | leering at |
Common combinations
- leer at someone
- The older boys leered at the girls on the bus.
- leer at a woman
- He leered at a woman in the crowd, and she quickly looked away.
- leer drunkenly
- The drunk man leered drunkenly at the passersby.
- leer through a window
- Someone was leering through the window at the children.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stare
- Stare means to look for a long time, often in surprise or rudeness, but it does not necessarily suggest sexual or hostile intent as leer does.
- ogle
- Ogle is similar and also disapproving, but it often suggests a more obvious, greedy looking, especially at someone's body.
- eye
- Eye means to look at carefully or with interest, and it can be neutral or admiring, not necessarily unpleasant like leer.
Word family
- leer noun
- an unpleasant, fixed look that shows sexual interest or hostility.
- leering adjective
- having or showing an unpleasant, fixed look.
Commonly confused: leer at or leer?
leer at vs leer
Leer is the base verb or noun; leer at is the phrase with the preposition at. Do not confuse leer with leery, which means suspicious or careful.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
Leer at takes the preposition at before the person. The other prepositions (to, for) or no preposition do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “leer at”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.