Pronunciation: /lɪr/

Definitions of leer

noun a sly, suggestive, or malicious look or grin

Example Sentences

A1 I saw a leer on his face when he looked at me.

A2 The creepy man gave her a leer as she walked by.

B1 She felt uncomfortable under the leer of the stranger sitting across from her.

B2 The leer he gave her made her feel uneasy and she quickly walked away.

C1 His leer was so intense that she had to confront him about his behavior.

C2 The politician's leer during the debate was seen as disrespectful and unprofessional.

verb to look or gaze in an unpleasant, malicious, or lascivious way

Example Sentences

A1 She likes to leer at strangers on the bus.

A2 The creepy man in the park tried to leer at me.

B1 He couldn't help but leer at the attractive woman across the room.

B2 The boss's inappropriate behavior included leering at his female employees.

C1 The politician's scandal involved allegations of leering at young interns.

C2 The actor's career was tarnished by accusations of leering at underage fans.

Examples of leer in a Sentence

formal The professor gave a stern leer to the student who was talking during the lecture.

informal She shot him a flirty leer from across the room.

slang The guy at the bar kept giving me creepy leers all night.

figurative The painting seemed to leer at me from the wall, its eyes following me around the room.

Grammatical Forms of leer

past tense

read

plural

readers

comparative

more read

superlative

most read

present tense

read

future tense

will read

perfect tense

have read

continuous tense

is reading

singular

reader

positive degree

read

infinitive

to read

gerund

reading

participle

reading

Origin and Evolution of leer

First Known Use: 1200 year
Language of Origin: Middle English
Story behind the word: The word 'leer' originated from Middle English 'leren' or 'leeren' which meant to teach or instruct.
Evolution of the word: Over time, the meaning of 'leer' shifted from teaching or instructing to its current usage which refers to a suggestive or sly look.