Word for the way something looks

WAYS OF LOOKING

• glance  (at) = to take a brief look (intentionally)

Stella glanced shyly at the young man out of the corners of her eyes.

• glimpse = to take a brief look (unintentionally); a «glimpse» can also be intentional, for example, when someone is trying very hard to see something and then finally catches a glimpse of it.

     * to catch a glimpse of something means to involuntarily see something for a short moment. (I caught a glimpse of a pigeon flying across my window.)

• stare = to look at someone or something for a long time, for whatever reason.

Verb ‘stare’ is usually used with the preposition at or with:

The ticket-collector stared at him a cold hostile stare.

 For a while she stared with astonishment at what used to be her favorite purse.

• gaze = to gaze means to look at something contemplatively. Sometimes people get lost while gazing, other time they are just enjoying the beauty of the view. We also use the noun gaze like look.

I was looking around the room until finally my gaze rested on the old wooden statue in the corner.

• peek = to take a brief look, secretly
• peep (at, into, through) = to take a long look, secretly, trying to remain undetected

Once or twice Mary peeped into the book her brother was reading.

I saw a man peeping through a hole in the fence.

• peer = to search for something by making an observation. Also, «to peer» is usually followed by a preposition «to peer into something,» «to peer over something.»
• glare  = means to look at something angrily or with a fire in your eyes.

Choose the correct variant:

1.  The white man ….. coldly at Lanny, looking him up and down.  

        saw

        looked

        glanced

        stared

        peeped

  2.  Four eyes ….. more than two.  

        see

        look

        glance

        stare

        peep

  3.  Joe said nothing but quickly ….. at his wife.  

        saw

        looked up

        glanced

        stared

        peeped

  4.  The girl looked first at the stranger then at his dog. She didn’t like what she ….. .  

        saw

        looked

        glanced

        stared

        peeped

  5.  I have arranged your interview with Andrew; he will ….. you on Monday.  

        see

        look

        glance

        stare

        peep

  6.  The man admitted that he had never ….. the document before.  

        seen

        looked

        glanced

        stared

        peeped

  7.  Did you ….. anybody approaching the house?  

        see

        look

        glance

        stare

        peep

  8.  I ….. at the steeple; which towered over the town with its white walls and a tiled roof.  

        saw

        looked up

        glanced

        stared

        peeped

  9.  Just ….. the trouble you have caused!  

        see

        look at

        glance at

        stare at

        peep through

  10.  The moon was ….. through heavy clouds in the darkening sky.  

        seeing

        looking

        glancing

        staring

        peeping

  11.  It was interesting ….. him, taking a look, making big strokes with his brush on the paper.  

        to see

        to look

        to glance

        to stare

        to peep

 12.  On his way out Herbert ….. that his clerks knew everything and he answered their involuntary glances with a sardonic look.  

        saw

        looked

        glanced

        stared

        peeped

  13.  He was sitting with his arms crossed, ….. straight in front of him.  

        seeing

        looking

        glancing

        staring

        peeping

  14.  We found the boys sitting on the bank, ….. fixedly at their fishing rods.  

        seeing

        looking

        glancing

        staring

        peeping

  15.  The visitor ….. at all the pictures but without any particular interest.  

        saw

        looked

        glanced

        stared

        peeped

Complete the sentences with the most suitable verb in the correct form:

1. The longer I ______ at my computer screen, the harder it became to find inspiration.    (stared)

1. I ______ a film at the cinema the other day, it was awesome!  

2. I was ______ TV all night last night.  

3. It’s very rude to ______ at people.  

4. I ______ at my notes quickly as took a deep breath, and then I began to speak to the audience.  

5. I caught a quick ______ of a strange animal in between the trees, but I wasn’t sure what it was.  

6.  We love to pass the time standing on our balcony and ______ across the beautiful landscape.  

7. He heard a strange noise coming from the room so he positioned himself to ______ through the keyhole.  

8. The old professor ______ intently over the old book at the student through his thick-rimmed spectacles.  

9. I ______ into the distance through the thick fog, trying absent-mindedly to see something.  

10. My dog was ______ at me angrily, clearly he thought it was about time for dinner.  

11. She ______ through the letter-box and saw an envelope.

Answers:

1. saw

2. watching

3. stare

4. glanced

5. glimpse

6. gazing

7. peep

8. peered

9. gazed

10. glaring

11. squinted

* to spot something means to see something intentionally which is difficult to see. For example: «I spotted my friend; he was deep within the crowd.»

* to peep at someone or to take a peep at something means to secretly take a look at something/someone.

* to peek means to look at something while trying to behind something to hide.

* to peer means to look discerningly at someone or something. It is a very specific verb and is difficult to learn without context. For example: «The old sea captain peered into the dense fog.»

* to leer means to look at someone in a creepy way, sometimes the connotations are sexual and usually negative.

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look: give attention to what one is seeing; turn the eyes and see in a certain direction.

Look at that cute baby!

see: use the power of sight.

See! Here she comes!

watch: look at some activity or event; keep one’s eyes fixed on something.

The boys watched television all the afternoon.

gaze: look at something for a long time, in surprise or admiration.

She gazed at him in disbelief when he told her the news.

stare: look at something for a long time with the eyes wide open.

 She was staring into space.

gawk = gawp: stare impolitely.

Many people gathered to gawp at the crashed car.

gape: look at something with one’s mouth open.

She gaped at him in surprise.

glance: have a quick look at something.

She glanced at her watch.

scan: look quickly at something without careful reading.

He scanned the newspaper over breakfast.

glare: stare angrily or fiercely.

She didn’t answered, but just glared silently at me.

peer: look very carefully, as if not able to see well.

He peered at me over his spectacles.

peep: look quickly and cautiously.

He was caught peeping through the keyhole.

observe: watch carefully.

The police observed the man entering the bank.

glimpse: have a passing view of something or someone. Usually used in the expression to catch a glimpse of.

He could catch a glimpse of the president among the crowd.

spot: recognize someone suddenly among many others.

He was spotted by the police boarding a plane for Berlin.

behold: old use of the verb to see.

Behold the king!

view: (technical) look thoroughly; regard, consider.

That film hasn’t been viewed by the censor yet.

sight: see for the first time.

The men in the ship finally sighted land.

leer: look in an unpleasant way, suggesting ill will or lust.

The man leered at the young girl.

blink: shut and open the eyes quickly.

How long can you stare without blinking?

wink: close one eye briefly, as a signal to somebody.

He winked at me to show that he was just joking.

frown: look in a worried or angry way, moving down the eyebrows together.

He read the telegram, frowning at its contents.

scowl: frown angrily.

She was very angry and scowled at him while she talked.

squint: look with eyes half shut or turned sideways, or through a narrow opening.

She squinted through the letter-box and saw an envelope.

peek: look quickly and secretively.

She found her brother peeking at her diary.

ogle: look or stare (at a woman) suggesting sexual interest.

Most women hate being ogled at.

goggle: look with the eyes wide open in surprise or shock. (old-fashioned)

People were goggling at her as if she were from another planet.

eyeball: look directly or closely.

Francis eyeballed a beautiful woman at the party.

take a gander at something: (informal) look at something.

cast an eye on/over something: look at something, examine something.

browse: look through the pages of a book or magazine; look at the goods in a shop without really wanting to buy anything.

Sheila spent all the afternoon browsing the boutiques.

scrutinize: examine thoroughly and carefully.

John scrutinized the painting at the museum.

Match the verbs on the left with their definitions on the right. The tiles in the right-hand column are sortable. ANSWERS

Your question has the earmarks of a bilingual dictionary that lacks nuance:

hidden reason = motive ?

greed = desire?

life right now = the present moment?

Since you use the words «fumble» and «stumble», I’m guessing that you might be searching for the word «flip».

To fumble through the contents of a desk drawer, say, means to look there hastily for something, moving items this way and that in the hope of finding the object.

When photographs were printed on paper, we might have said «Some day, as you are flipping through these pictures, you might find one that brings a long forgotten moment back to you.»

To flip through a set of pictures meant to look through the set somewhat aimlessly, just to see what images the set holds.

Flipping through might still work even if the photographs are on a mobile phone.

EDIT:

Based on additional comments: You could let your eyes wander over the picture.

• #1

I need one word for something that looks tender but is very strong. Like a thin fabric which is tear resistant by the way it has been manufactured.

Or may be something which can be used as a metaphor.

Thank you very much.

• #2

You’re not going to find one word that means everything you want it to mean, nazn. I’d use a phrase like «surprisingly strong/tough» to describe some fabric that was more durable than it appeared to be.

• #3

As a metaphor:
strong as silk
strong as kevlar.

Or maybe just coin a poetic expression, like ‘gossamer steel’

• #4

You might call it a deceptively fragile-looking fabric. Like Owlman’s suggestion, that’s two words.

I can’t think, either, of a single word that accomplishes what you want.

• #5

As strong as the spider’s filament (or web).

I just read about the strongest thin ‘fabric’ just discovered: one atom thick. Graphene. It’s too new to be in any established metaphors.

Cagey

post mod (English Only / Latin)

• #6

One of the above suggestions may work. If they don’t, please give us more information about what you are describing, and the complete sentence in which you might use this word. Otherwise, people who want to be helpful are forced to make wide-ranging guesses, as you can see.

Everyone else, please wait for more information from nazn before answering further.

Cagey, moderator.

• #7

Hello everybody, Thanks a lot for your answers, I was actually looking into my email and never got a notification for this thread, and I was thinking I did not get a reply. I just checked it here and saw your replies. I am sorry.

I am using it like «ABC fabric provides a ___’s protection for your timber.»

What I want to describe is that this fabric is light weight and yet very good for protecting timber.

• #8

With a genitive s, it looks like you want a noun that is a metaphor. When you say «fabric», do you mean «like cloth»?

• #9

When you say «fabric», do you mean «like cloth»?

It’s actually a PE sheet.

• #10

What is PE? Is it thick and hard to bend, or thin and like paper/cloth?

• #12

«ABC fabric provides a ___’s protection for your timber.» -> «ABC PE sheets provide armoured protection for your timber.»

• #13

Hi nazn,
if it’s polyethylene and it’s intended to protect wood, then its strength is not its most important feature. If I were in the market for a product to protect my wood, I’d like it to be first of all extremely waterproof and secondly relatively strong.

How about:
«ABC fabric protects your timber like a duck’s back.»

It’s more idiomatic and makes use of a pre-existing expression.

Last edited: Feb 23, 2014

• #14

It’s not fabric. Fabric is woven.

• #15

@all: Sorry, I just thought that PE are also a fabric.

Now I am confused because I like the «armoured protection» and the «duck’s back» expression as well.

1. Is this sentence grammatically 100% correct: «ABC fabric protects your timber like a duck’s back.» ?

2. If you read the duck’s back expression on a website when they are introducing/describing their PE sheets, do you find it funny? (Because if I would read this, the thing which would be formed in my mind would be some fat ducks wandering in a meadow, and that would feel a bit funny and non serious? )

• #16

1. Is this sentence grammatically 100% correct: «ABC fabric protects your timber like a duck’s back.» ?

I would find that unusual. It sounds like «ABC sheets protect your timber like a duck’s back (protects your timber).» We can say that «water rolls off it like a duck’s back,» but I don’t think you can carry that into the sentence above.

• #17

Copyright is right.
First of all sheets is better than fabric. Secondly it doesn’t protect timber like a duck’s back.
Let me try again:
«ABC sheets keep your timber as waterproff as a duck’s back.

Not bad, but I think someone with some advertising know-how could make it sound snappier.