Meaning & use
window gazing
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
the activity of looking out of a window for a long time, often while thinking or daydreaming
Grammar: Uncountable, so use it with a singular verb: 'Window gazing helps me unwind.'
Patterns
- do some window gazing
- a bit of window gazing
After a long week, she spent Sunday morning doing some window gazing from her kitchen.
Window gazing on the train is his favorite way to pass the time.
A little window gazing can help you clear your head.
Common combinations
- do some window gazing
- I did some window gazing while waiting for the rain to stop.
- a bit of window gazing
- A bit of window gazing before bed helps me relax.
- window gazing from a train
- Window gazing from a train makes the journey feel shorter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- daydreaming
- Daydreaming means being lost in pleasant thoughts anywhere, while window gazing specifically involves looking out of a window.
- people-watching
- People-watching means observing strangers in public, not just staring out of a window.
Word family
- window gaze verb
- to look out of a window for a long time
- window gazer noun
- a person who often gazes out of windows
Commonly confused: window gazing or window shopping?
window gazing vs window shopping
Window shopping means looking at goods in shop windows without buying; window gazing is simply looking out of a window, often at a view.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'window gazing' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Window gazing' is an uncountable noun, so it works as the object of 'enjoys' in option C. Option A wrongly uses it as a verb with an object; option B has a plural verb with an uncountable noun; option D uses it as a verb without 'are' or 'were'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “window gazing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.