What does "leer" mean?
Leer: The cheek. [Obs.] Holinshed.
Additional senses
- 2.complexion; aspect; appearance. [Obs.] A Rosalind of a better leer than you. Shak.
- 3.A distorted expression of the face, or an indirect glance of the eye, conveying a sinister or immodest suggestion. With jealous leer malign Eyed them askance. Milton. She gives the leer of invitation. Shak. Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer. Pope.
- 4.To look with a leer; to look askance with a suggestive expression, as of hatred, contempt, lust, etc. ; to cast a sidelong lustful or malign look. I will leer him as a'comes by. Shak. The priest, above his book, Leering at his neighbor's wife. Tennyson.
- 5.To entice with a leer, or leers; as, to leer a man to ruin. Dryden.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00