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Glite Dictionary
🌌 To watch stars 💭 To daydream
to stargaze

to stargaze

1 6.4
To think about pleasant, unlikely things instead of paying attention
  • verb
  • /ˈstɑrˌɡeɪz/
  • Informal
translation icon : soñar despierto
  • During the meeting, she tended to stargaze, lost in her daydreams instead of paying attention.

Examples

  • When she was supposed to be studying, she would often stargaze, imagining all the places she wanted to visit.

  • You weren't stargazing last night, right?

    Dartmoor Killing (2015)

  • But at the same time, when I stargaze and I look out into the vastness of space, I don't, I really feel insignificant.

  • The idealistic Werner von Braun dreamed of space travel... he stargazed.

    Iron Man 3 (2013)

  • As he sat in class, he couldn't help but stargaze about his future adventures instead of focusing on the lesson.

Synonyms

to dream
vsto stargaze
932 2.7

To think about pleasant things while you are awake

is about avoiding reality and not paying attention to the present
to fantasize
vsto stargaze
  • US
126 4.5

To imagine things that are not real because you want them

focuses on avoiding reality rather than on how likely thoughts are
to daydream
vsto stargaze
39 2.3

To imagine pleasant things while you are awake and not paying attention

involves ignoring reality by not paying attention to present matters
to moon
vsto stargaze
8 7.4

To spend time thinking and not pay attention

involves deliberately avoiding reality instead of paying attention now
to woolgather
vsto stargaze
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To think about pleasant things instead of paying attention

is the modern neutral term rather than the older dated expression

Antonyms

to focus
∞ 2.6

To direct attention or thoughts toward something specific

to pay attention
∞ 1.6

To focus on someone or something and notice carefully

How Distracted

to space out
  • Informal
4 7.7
to stargaze
  • Informal
1 6.4
to daydream
39 2.3
to wander
50 3.3

Surface Forms

stargaze infinitive
stargazed past
stargazed past participle
stargazing present participle
stargazes third person singular

Morphology

stargaze = star + gaze (semi-transparent) = star + gaze

The form is the same compound 'star' + 'gaze', but the meaning is a metaphorical extension (daydreaming) rather than the literal action.

Etymology

Stargaze is also used to mean 'to daydream' because looking at distant stars became a picture for thinking about faraway ideas, so to stargaze can mean losing attention and imagining other things.