Meaning & use
ten thousand yard stare
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Meaning
nounsingular
A blank, fixed look that shows someone is deeply affected by trauma or shock, as if staring at something far away.
Grammar: Usually used with 'the': 'the ten thousand yard stare'. It can be used figuratively outside military contexts.
Patterns
- the ten thousand yard stare
- have a ten thousand yard stare
- give someone a ten thousand yard stare
After the accident, she sat by the window with a ten thousand yard stare.
The veteran's ten thousand yard stare told us more than words could.
He came back from the war with a ten thousand yard stare that never really left him.
Common combinations
- have a ten thousand yard stare
- After the fire, he had a ten thousand yard stare for days.
- give someone a ten thousand yard stare
- She gave me a ten thousand yard stare when I mentioned the crash.
- the ten thousand yard stare of a soldier
- The photograph captured the ten thousand yard stare of a young soldier.
Synonyms and how they differ
- blank stare
- A more general term for any expressionless look; it does not necessarily imply trauma or deep shock.
- thousand-yard stare
- A shorter, more common variant of the same phrase; it is often used in the same contexts.
Word family
- thousand-yard stare noun
- A shorter form of the same expression, often used in journalism and everyday speech.
Practice
What does 'ten thousand yard stare' typically describe?
Choose one answer.
The phrase describes a distant, unfocused stare that suggests someone is emotionally numb or traumatized. It does not mean looking far away physically or being happy or focused.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ten thousand yard stare”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.