Was rude, in a way (6)
I believe the answer is:
stared
'was rude in a way' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for stared that I've seen before include "Looked fixedly (at something)" , "Gazed at in steady or prolonged way" , "Gaped" , "Regarded fixedly" , "Looked with a fixed gaze" .)