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Meaning & use

looked leeringly at

verb·Advanceddisapproving

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UK/ˌlʊkt ˈlɪərɪŋli æt/
US/ˌlʊkt ˈlɪrɪŋli æt/

“looked leeringly at” is a form of “look leeringly at”.

Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.

Meanings

  1. verbtransitivedisapproving

    Stared at someone in an unpleasant way that showed sexual interest.

    Grammar: Takes an object: he looked leeringly at her. The adverb 'leeringly' comes before 'at'.

    Patterns

    • look leeringly at someone
    • be looking leeringly at someone

    The man at the bar looked leeringly at every woman who walked past.

    She moved seats because the stranger kept looking leeringly at her.

    He looked leeringly at the photograph and made a rude remark.

  2. verbtransitivedisapproving

    Looked at something with an unpleasant, smug, or mocking grin.

    Grammar: Also takes an object; the leer can show mockery rather than desire.

    Patterns

    • look leeringly at something

    The bully looked leeringly at the boy's torn homework.

    He looked leeringly at the mess and said nothing.

Word forms

base formlook leeringly at
third person singularlooks leeringly at
past tenselooked leeringly at
past participlelooked leeringly at
-ing formlooking leeringly at

Common combinations

look leeringly at someone
He looked leeringly at the new waitress.
keep looking leeringly at
The customer kept looking leeringly at her, so she called the manager.
a leering look
She ignored his leering look and kept walking.
leer at someone
Two men were leering at us from the corner.

Synonyms and how they differ

stare at
Neutral; it only means looking for a long time, without the unpleasant sexual suggestion.
ogle
Very close in meaning, but 'ogle' is the verb itself, while here 'leeringly' describes how someone looked.
eye
Can suggest interest or suspicion, but not necessarily the creepy sexual quality of 'leer'.

Opposites

glance atlook away from

Word family

leer verb
To look at someone in this unpleasant, sexually interested way.
leer noun
An unpleasant, sexually interested look.
leeringly adverb
In a leering way; the adverb used in this phrase.
leering adjective
Describing a look of this unpleasant kind, as in a leering smile.

Commonly confused: looked leeringly at or leeringly?

looked leeringly at vs leeringly

Do not confuse with 'learningly' (not a word) or 'longingly', which means with a sad, strong wish, not with an unpleasant sexual look.

Practice

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