Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To look or stare at, especially in a desirous manner.
  • intransitive verb To look or stare, especially desirously.
  • noun A sustained look or stare, especially a desirous one.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To view with amorous or coquettish glances, as in fondness or with a design to attract notice.
  • To cast glances as in fondness or with a design to attract notice.
  • noun A coquettish or amorous glance or look.
  • noun plural Eyes.
  • noun An owl.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An amorous side glance or look.
  • transitive verb To view or look at with side glances, as in fondness, or with a design to attract notice.
  • transitive verb To stare at conspicuously or impertinently.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive , (intransitive) To stare at (someone or something), especially impertinently, amorously, or covetously.
  • noun An impertinent, flirtatious, amorous or covetous stare.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb look at with amorous intentions

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Perhaps from Low German oghelen, oegeln, frequentative of oegen, to eye, from oghe, oge, eye; see okw- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle Dutch *ooghelen, oeghelen ("to ogle"), frequentative form of oogen ("to eye"); or from Middle Low German ogelen ("to look at, ogle"), frequentative of ogen, ougen ("to eye, see"), equivalent to og- +‎ -le. Compare German äugeln ("to ogle"). More at eye, -le.

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Examples

Comments

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  • Pronunciation:

    \ˈ�?-gəl also ˈä-\

    Etymology:

    probably from Low German oegeln, from oog eye; akin to Old High German ouga eye

    intransitive verb : to glance with amorous invitation or challenge

    transitive verb 1 : to eye amorously or provocatively 2 : to look at especially with greedy or interested attention

    October 24, 2007

  • I'm glad to see Merriam Webster listing both pronunciations; I had a friend who always gave me shit because I prefer the latter.

    October 24, 2007

  • I didn't know this word. I like it. We (Spanish speakers) haven't a word with a similar meaning, so we have to use idioms to express the same that ogle.

    By the way, your posting style in Wordie reminds me of... my own posts! ;-)

    October 24, 2007

  • I use both pronunciations, which makes me a bit strange, I'd imagine.

    October 24, 2007

  • This word always reminds me of Stranger Than Fiction. If you haven't seen it, you must. It was *made* for Wordies.

    October 24, 2007

  • Whenever I see this word I think "baby ogre".

    October 24, 2007

  • Haha!

    October 24, 2007

  • ...it looked a little as if Camilla, who was a very good companion, ogled at me with no questionable meaning.

    - Lesage, The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, tr. Smollett, bk 1 ch. 16

    September 12, 2008

  • I love google. I ogle google very amorously on a daily basis, because you never know what you'll find next.

    March 1, 2009

  • A quick informal poll: Do you pronounce this OH-gul, OGG-ul, or OO-gul? Or some fourth way?

    I've always said OGG-ul. Today I heard OO-gul for the first time, and OO-gul made me giggle.

    August 19, 2012

  • OH-gul.

    August 19, 2012

  • Ah, gull.

    August 19, 2012

  • The painter's mistress finished her conquest, by exerting her skill in the art of ogling, accompanied by frequent bewitching sighs and some tender French songs, that she sang with such pathetic expression, as quite melted the resolution of Pallet, and utterly subdued his affection. And he, to convince her of the importance of her victory, gave a specimen of his own talents, by entertaining her with that celebrated English ditty, the burden of which begins with, "The pigs they lie with their a--s bare."

    — Smollett, Peregrine Pickle

    March 25, 2022