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LEER
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected form: leer
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A suggestive or sneering look or grin
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("leer" is a kind of...):
aspect; expression; face; facial expression; look (the feelings expressed on a person's face)
Derivation:
leer (look suggestively or obliquely; look or gaze with a sly, immodest, or malign expression)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A facial expression of contempt or scorn; the upper lip curls
Synonyms:
leer; sneer
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("leer" is a kind of...):
contempt; scorn (open disrespect for a person or thing)
Derivation:
leer (look suggestively or obliquely; look or gaze with a sly, immodest, or malign expression)
leery (openly distrustful and unwilling to confide)
II. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they leer ... he / she / it leers
Past simple: leered
Past participle: leered
-ing form: leering
Sense 1
Meaning:
Look suggestively or obliquely; look or gaze with a sly, immodest, or malign expression
Example:
The men leered at the young women on the beach
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Hypernyms (to "leer" is one way to...):
look (perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
leer (a suggestive or sneering look or grin)
leer (a facial expression of contempt or scorn; the upper lip curls)
Context examples:
They received me and Peggotty in an affectionate manner, and shook hands with Mr. Barkis, who, with his hat on the very back of his head, and a shame-faced leer upon his countenance, and pervading his very legs, presented but a vacant appearance, I thought.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
