Meaning & use
stargazing
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The activity of looking at stars and the night sky for pleasure, often away from city lights.
Grammar: Uncountable: we went stargazing; there was no plural.
Patterns
- go stargazing
- a stargazing trip
We drove into the desert to go stargazing.
Stargazing is best on clear nights with no moon.
The hotel organizes stargazing evenings for guests.
noununcountablefigurativeold-fashioned
Daydreaming or thinking about unrealistic things instead of dealing with practical matters.
Grammar: A less common sense, often used as a mild criticism.
Patterns
- stop the stargazing
- too much stargazing
His boss told him to stop the stargazing and finish the report.
Too much stargazing about the future left her unprepared for the present.
The plan was nothing but stargazing.
Common combinations
- go stargazing
- Let's go stargazing this weekend.
- stargazing trip
- The scouts planned a stargazing trip.
- good for stargazing
- This hilltop is great for stargazing.
- stargazing party
- The club holds a monthly stargazing party.
- dark skies for stargazing
- The island has dark skies for stargazing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- astronomy
- Astronomy is the scientific study of space, while stargazing is simply looking at the sky for enjoyment.
- skywatching
- Skywatching includes watching clouds, planets and events, so it is slightly wider than stargazing.
- daydreaming
- Daydreaming matches the figurative sense, but carries no suggestion of looking at the sky.
Word family
Commonly confused: stargazing or astrology?
stargazing vs astrology
Astrology claims stars influence human lives, while stargazing is only the act of looking at the sky.
Practice
The night was clear and dark, so the family spread a blanket on the grass and went ___.
Choose one answer.
Stargazing means looking at the stars, which fits a clear dark night. The others are possible activities, but they do not fit a blanket on the grass and a clear sky.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stargazing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.