/ lɪə(r); NAmE lɪr/ verb , noun
■ verb
[ v ] leer (at sb) to look or smile at sb in an unpleasant way that shows an evil or sexual interest in them
■ noun
an unpleasant look or smile that shows sb is interested in a person in an evil or sexual way :
He looked at her with an evil leer.
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (in the general sense look sideways or askance ): perhaps from obsolete leer cheek , from Old English hlēor , as though the sense were to glance over one's cheek .