/ skwɪnt; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
to look at sth with your eyes partly shut in order to keep out bright light or to see better :
[ v ]
to squint into the sun
She was squinting through the keyhole.
He squinted at the letter in his hand.
[ vn ]
When he squinted his eyes, he could just make out a house in the distance.
2.
[ v ] ( BrE ) ( of an eye ) to look in a different direction from the other eye :
His left eye squints a little.
3.
[ v ] to have eyes that look in different directions
■ noun
1.
[ C , usually sing. ] a condition of the eye muscles which causes each eye to look in a different direction :
He was born with a squint.
2.
[ sing. ] ( BrE , informal ) a short look :
Have a squint at this.
••
WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (in the sense squinting , as in squint-eyed ): shortening of asquint .