Phrase guide

look daggers

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌlʊk ˈdæɡəz/
  • General-American: /ˌlʊk ˈdæɡɚz/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

Often followed by at: to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner, especially without speaking.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: glare daggers, shoot daggers, stare daggers

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

An allusion to a look being so fierce as to be able to injure the person looked at like a dagger.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: fulminar amb l'esguard — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • Finnish: katsoa vihamielisesti — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • Finnish: mulkoilla — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • French: lancer un regard noir — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • French: darder un regard noir — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • French: foudroyer du regard — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • French: fusiller du regard — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • French: se regarder en chiens de faïence — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • Italian: guardare torvo — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • Italian: guardare in cagnesco — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • Japanese: 目を三角にする (me o sankaku ni suru) — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • Korean: 쏘아보다 (ssoaboda) — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • Korean: 노려보다 (noryeoboda) — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • Portuguese: olhar feio — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • Portuguese: olhar atravessado — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • Portuguese: fulminar com o olhar — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner
  • Spanish: fulminar con la mirada — to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner