verb

starren

stare

Jemanden oder etwas lange und fest ansehen, oft ohne wegzuschauen.

Definition & meaning

starren is a verb that means to stare, to gaze fixedly, or to look at something intensely for a prolonged period, often without blinking or moving one's eyes. It usually implies a lack of distraction or intense concentration, shock, or rudeness.

Depending on the context, it can have different nuances:

To stare at something/someone: Focusing one's eyes intently on an object or person (e.g., Er starrte auf den Bildschirm - He stared at the screen).
To be stiff or rigid: Used in a metaphorical sense, it can mean that something is stiff or rigid (e.g., vor Kälte starren - to be stiff from the cold).
To teem or be full of: Often used with the preposition "vor" to describe something that is covered in or overflowing with something (e.g., Das Zimmer starrte vor Schmutz - The room was teeming/caked with dirt).

Grammar & Word origin

starren is a weak verb. Its conjugation includes the past tense starrte and the past participle gestarrt. It is intransitive when used with the preposition auf (to stare at).

Historically, the word is related to the Middle High German starren and the Old High German starēn. It shares a common root with the word starr , which means stiff, rigid, or stark. The underlying idea is the "stiffness" of the eyes when they are fixed on one point.