eye
[noun]
Synonyms:
- eyeball, optic (informal)
- appreciation, discernment, discrimination, judgment, perception, recognition, taste
[verb]
Synonyms:
- look at, check out (informal), contemplate, inspect, study, survey, view, watch

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Related Idioms: keep a close (or an eagle) eye on
Related Words: attitude, position, thinking, conception, grasp, conclusion, judgment, regard, stare (at), size up

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. eye¹ S1 W1 /aɪ/ noun
[Language: Old English; Origin: eage]

1. FOR SEEING WITH [countable] one of the two parts of the body that you use to see with:
He’s got beautiful eyes.
There were tears in her eyes as she listened to the story.
Ow! I’ve got something in my eye!
blue-eyed/one-eyed/bright-eyed etc
a brown-eyed girl ⇒ wide-eyed

2. WAY OF SEEING/UNDERSTANDING [countable usually singular] a particular way of seeing, judging, or understanding something:
Go through your shopping list with a critical eye for foods with a high fat content.
with the eye of somebody
The magazine combines the accuracy of the scientist with the eye of the artist.
to sb’s eye(s)
The picture quality, to my eye, is excellent.
through the eyes of somebody (=from the point of view of a particular person)
The story is told through the eyes of a refugee child.
in the eyes of somebody (=according to a particular person or group)
Carl could do no wrong in the eyes of his parents.

3. keep an eye on something/somebody to look after someone or something and make sure that they are safe:
Mary will keep an eye on the kids this afternoon.
We keep a watchful eye on our elderly neighbors.

4. have/keep your eye on somebody to carefully watch everything that someone does, especially because you do not trust them:
We want Taylor in jail where we can keep an eye on him.

5. eye contact when you look directly at someone at the same time as they are looking at you:
People who are lying tend to avoid eye contact.
In a formal interview, try to maintain good eye contact with the interviewers.

6. keep/have one eye/half an eye on somebody/something to be watching someone or something at the same time that you are doing something else:
Louise was stirring the soup with half an eye on the baby.

7. have your eye on something to want something that you think might become available:
He has his eye on the bigger apartment next door.

8. the naked eye if you can see something with the naked eye, you can see it without using any artificial help such as a telescope or microscope
with the naked eye
It’s just about possible to see the planet with the naked eye on a clear night.
visible/invisible to the naked eye
Dust mites are tiny creatures, invisible to the naked eye.

9. before your very eyes (also (right) in front of your eyes) especially spoken if something happens before your very eyes, it happens where you can clearly see it:
The murder had apparently taken place before our very eyes.

10. can’t take your eyes off somebody/something to be unable to stop looking at someone or something, especially because they are extremely interesting or attractive:
She looked stunning. I couldn’t take my eyes off her all evening.

11. under the (watchful/stern etc) eye of somebody while being watched by someone who is making sure that you behave properly or do something right:
We went to dances, but only under the watchful eye of our father.

12. run/cast your eye over something to look at something quickly:
She cast her eye over the front page of the paper.

13. set/lay/clap eyes on somebody/something spoken to see something or meet someone, especially for the first time:
I loved that house from the moment I clapped eyes on it.

14. keep an eye open/out (for somebody/something) to watch carefully so that you will notice when someone or something appears:
Keep an eye out for rabbits in the field.

15. with an eye to (doing) something if you do something with an eye to doing something else, you do it in order to make the second thing more likely to happen:
Most novels are published with an eye to commercial success.

16. close/shut your eyes to something to ignore something or pretend that you do not know it is happening:
Most governments know that we’re heading for an environmental catastrophe but they shut their eyes to it.

17. have an eye/a good eye for something to be good at noticing a particular type of thing, especially something attractive, valuable, of good quality etc:
Ernest has an eye for detail.
She’s definitely got a good eye for a bargain.

18. keep your eyes peeled/skinned spoken to watch carefully and continuously for something
keep your eyes peeled/skinned for
She stumbled along, keeping her eyes peeled for a phone box.

19. with your eyes open knowing fully what the problems, difficulties, results etc of a situation might be:
I’ve no-one to blame but myself – I went into this deal with my eyes open.

20. can do something with your eyes shut/closed to be able to do something very easily:
Believe me, you could run that place with your eyes closed.

21. make eyes at somebody/give somebody the eye informal to look at someone in a way that shows you think they are sexually attractive:
Don’t look now, but that guy over there is really giving you the eye.

22. an eye for/on/to the main chance if you have an eye for the main chance, you will take advantage of any possible opportunity to get what you want – used to show disapproval

23. one in the eye for somebody British English spoken something that will annoy someone or give them a disadvantage – used especially when you think this is a good thing:
This latest judgement will definitely be one in the eye for the fast food corporations.

24. an eye for an eye the idea that if someone does something wrong, you should punish them by doing the same thing to them:
An eye for an eye is no way to run a civilised justice system.

25. for sb’s eyes only used to say that something is secret and must only be seen by one particular person or group:
The information is for police eyes only.

26. have eyes in the back of your head to know what is happening all around you, even when this seems impossible:
We’ll have to be really careful – old Jonesey has eyes in the back of his head.

27. get/keep your eye in British English informal to practise or to continue practising an activity so that you become good at it

28. have eyes like a hawk to notice every small detail or everything that is happening, and therefore be very difficult to deceive:
We never got away with anything in Mrs. Podell’s class – she had eyes like a hawk.

29. his/her etc eyes were popping (out of his/her etc head) British English especially spoken to be very surprised, shocked, or excited by something you see

30. be up to your eyes in something British English informal to be very busy doing something:
He’s up to his eyes in paperwork.

31. have eyes bigger than your belly spoken used to say that you have taken more food than you are able to eat

32. only have eyes for somebody if someone only has eyes for someone, they love and are interested in that person only

33. my eye! old-fashioned spoken used to say that you do not believe something

34. all eyes are on/watching/fixed on etc
a) used to say that everyone is looking at someone or something:
All eyes were on the speaker, and nobody noticed me slip into the hall.
b) used to say that a lot of people are paying attention to a particular person or situation:
For the time being, all eyes are on the White House.

35. in a pig’s eye! American English spoken used to show that you do not believe what someone is saying

36. CAMERA [singular] the eye of the camera is the way that you appear in photographs:
Fashion models are completely comfortable with the eye of the camera.

37. NEEDLE [countable] the hole in a needle that you put the thread through

38. FOR FASTENING CLOTHES [countable] a small circle or U-shaped piece of metal used together with a hook for fastening clothes

39. STORM [singular] the calm centre of a storm such as a hurricane

40. POTATO [countable] a dark spot on a potato that a new plant can grow from
⇒ BIRD’S-EYE VIEW, black eye, Catseye, private eye, red eye, ⇒ the apple of sb’s eye at apple(2), ⇒ not bat an eye at bat²(2), ⇒ turn a blind eye (to something) at blind¹(3), ⇒ see something out of the corner of your eye at corner¹(8), ⇒ the evil eye at evil¹(5), ⇒ give somebody the glad eye at glad(6), ⇒ look somebody in the eye/face at look¹(7), ⇒ in your mind’s eye at mind¹(40), ⇒ here’s mud in your eye at mud, ⇒ open sb’s eyes (to) at open²(17), ⇒ in the public eye at public¹(4), ⇒ make sheep’s eyes at at sheep(4), ⇒ a sight for sore eyes at sight¹(14), ⇒ in the twinkling of an eye at twinkling, ⇒ keep a weather eye on at weather¹(5), ⇒ pull the wool over sb’s eyes at wool(4)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. eye² verb (present participle eyeing or eying) [transitive]
to look at someone or something carefully, especially because you do not trust them or because you want something:
The man behind the desk eyed us suspiciously.
A crowd of local children gathered around, eying us in silence.
eye somebody ↔ up phrasal verb
informal to look at someone in a way that shows you think they are sexually attractive:
There was a group of lads at the bar, eyeing up every girl who walked in.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

eye
noun
I. part of the body
ADJ. left, right | amber, blue, brown, dark, golden, green, grey, hazel | big, huge, large, enormous, wide She just looked at me with those big blue eyes of hers. His eyes were wide with horror.
narrow | close-set | wide-apart, wide-set | deep/deep-set, heavy-lidded, hollow, hooded, sunken | protuberant | beady, piggy | baggy, puffy, swollen | bleary, bloodshot, dark-ringed, exhausted, red, red-rimmed, sleepy, tired, weary Her dark-ringed eyes showed that she hadn't slept.
bright, brilliant, luminous, lustrous, sparkling, starry | clear, limpid, liquid | soft, velvety, warm | cloudy, misty, moist, rheumy, tear-filled, tearful, watery | dry | sightless, unseeing | short-sighted | half-closed, narrowed | unblinking | dazed, unfocused | mad, staring, wild | angry, cruel, fierce | anxious | greedy, hungry The dog's hungry eyes were on my sandwich.
curious, prying He drew the curtains to make sure no prying eyes saw what he was doing.
intelligent, keen, sharp, shrewd | penetrating, piercing | cold, expressionless, glassy, glazed, lifeless, steely, vacant | downcast, sad, solemn, soulful
VERB + EYE open | close, shut | lift, raise | cast, turn I cast my eyes around the room but couldn't see any familiar faces. He turned his eyes to the door when he heard the handle turning.
avert She averted her eyes from his face.
screw up He screwed up his eyes against the glare of the sun.
strain I didn't want to strain my eyes to read, so I put the light on. | protect Skiers wear goggles to protect their eyes from the sun.
shade, shield He held up the newspaper to shield his eyes from the sun.
test | gouge She reached up and tried to gouge her attacker's eyes.
catch A movement in the reeds caught my eye (= attracted my attention).
look sb (straight) in, meet She looked her father straight in the eye and answered his question truthfully. He seemed unwilling to meet my eye.
EYE + VERB dilate, fly open, grow wide, open, round, widen Her eyes dilated with horror at what she had done. Her eyes flew open in surprise. His eyes rounded in mock amazement.
close, shut | stream, water My eyes stream when I chop onions.
hold sth His eyes held a sceptical gleam.
be alight with sth, blaze, flare, flash, gleam, glint, glisten, glitter, glow, light up, shine, smoulder, spark, sparkle, twinkle She laughed, her eyes alight with excitement. His eyes blazed with menace.
mirror sth, reflect sth His eyes reflected his anguish.
blur, cloud, brim/fill with tears, mist | darken, dim, dull, glaze (over) Her eyes glazed over when I said I worked in dictionaries.
harden His eyes hardened as he remembered how they had laughed at him.
narrow, sharpen | burn, hurt, prick, prickle, smart, sting Her eyes prickled with unshed tears.
be drawn to sb/sth, follow sb/sth, turn to sb/sth His eyes were drawn to a bundle of papers in the corner. My eyes followed his every move.
fall on sb/sth, settle on sb/sth | dwell on sb/sth, fasten on sb/sth, fix on sb/sth, be fixed on sb/sth, be intent on sb/sth, focus on sb/sth, gaze (up) at sb/sth, be glued to sb/sth, linger on sb/sth, lock on sb/sth, rest on sb/sth, be riveted on/to sb/sth, stare (at) sb/sth, be trained on sb/sth, watch sb/sth She tried to sit up, her eyes fixed on Jean's face.
look at sb/sth, peer at sb/sth, regard sb/sth | glare at sb/sth | lock (together), meet Their eyes locked together in a battle of wills.
dart, flick, flicker, flit, glance, go, leap, move, run, shift His eyes darted from face to face.
roll, swivel She tried the door, her eyes rolling in panic.
dance Her eyes danced with amusement.
roam, rove He let his eyes roam round the scene.
drift, slide, slip, stray, wander His eyes drifted over to Helen's chair.
probe sth, rake sth, scan sth, scour sth, search sth, sweep sth His eyes scanned the room as he entered.
drop, fall, lower Her eyes dropped to her lap as she answered.
lift | bore into sb, lance (through) sb, pierce sb She could feel the old lady's eyes bore into her.
accustom to sth, adjust to sth, become/grow accustomed to sth As my eyes accustomed to the darkness, I could make out a shape by the window.
blink | crinkle (up), squint, wrinkle His eyes crinkled up at the corners as he smiled. Her eyes squinted against the brightness.
strain My eyes strained to make anything out in the darkness.
slant | bulge, pop His eyes bulged in fury.
betray sb/sth, give away sb/sth His narrow eyes betrayed his impatience.
question sb, quiz sb | smile | mock sb | appraise sb/sth, examine sb/sth, scrutinize sb/sth, study sb/sth, survey sb/sth | take sth in My eyes took in every detail as I entered the house for the first time in twenty years.
EYE + NOUN muscles, socket | contact I knew he was lying because he wouldn't make eye contact with me.
movement Rapid eye movements frequently accompany dreaming.
doctor, specialist, surgeon | hospital | operation, surgery, treatment | examination, test | complaint, damage, defect, disease, disorder, infection, injury, strain, trouble | drops The doctor gave me eye drops to put in three times a day.
protection It is essential to wear some form of eye protection.
make-up | level Your computer screen should be at eye level so that you can work with your neck straight.
PREP. in your ~s There were tears in his eyes as he spoke. The sun was in my eyes and I couldn't see the road.
under sb's ~ I want you under my eye (= where I can see you).
PHRASES as far as the eye can see The tide was out, leaving nothing but mud as far as the eye could see.
before your very eyes Before our very eyes, the bird snatched the fish from the plate and flew off.
can't keep/take your eyes off sb/sth He couldn't keep his eyes off the girl sitting opposite him.
cast/raise/roll your eyes heavenwards (= to show that you are annoyed or impatient) She rolled her eyes heavenwards when she saw what her husband was wearing.
a gleam/glint/twinkle in sb's eye He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye.
have an eye on sb/sth (= be watching) The store detective had his eye on a group of boys who were acting suspiciously. | keep an eye on sb/sth (= watch) Could you keep an eye on my bag while I go to the toilet?
keep an eye open/out for sb/sth (= watch out for) I walked round the shops, keeping an eye out for bargains.
out of the corner of your eye Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry start forward.
set eyes on sb/sth From the moment he set eyes on her he knew that he wanted to marry her.
to/with the naked/unaided eye The planet should be visible to the naked eye (= without a telescope). | under sb's critical, watchful, etc. eye The team went through their paces under their trainer's critical eye.
with your own eyes If I hadn't seen his jump with my own eyes, I would never have believed it possible.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

eye
II. ability to see
ADJ. eagle, good, keen, quick, sharp The children's eagle eyes spotted an ice-cream shop half a mile away. A surgeon needs a good eye and a steady hand.
PREP. ~ for Her skill at working with wood is coupled to a keen eye for design.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

eye
III. way of seeing
ADJ. careful, cautious, close, suspicious, wary, watchful | critical, stern | jaundiced | fresh, new He saw his students with new eyes now that he had a child of his own.
kindly, sympathetic | fatherly | discerning | experienced, expert, practised To an expert eye, the painting is an obvious fake.
inexperienced, untrained | artistic
PREP. in sb/sth's ~ She can do no wrong in his eyes. In the eyes of the law his knife was an offensive weapon.
through sb's ~s You need to look at your website through the user's eyes.
to sb's ~ To my eye, the windows seem out of proportion.
with a … ~ She viewed the findings with a critical eye.
with the ~ of He looked at the design with the eye of an engineer.
PHRASES in your mind's eye (= your imagination) He pictured the scene in his mind's eye.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

eye
verb
ADV. keenly, narrowly, sharply, shrewdly | curiously, speculatively, thoughtfully | carefully, cautiously, suspiciously, warily | doubtfully, uncertainly | coldly, contemptuously, coolly | greedily, hungrily The children eyed the cakes greedily.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

eye

brown/blue/grey/green
Both their children have blue eyes.
dark brown/pale brown
His eyes are dark brown.
deep blue/pale blue
She looked into his deep blue eyes.
The tiny child 's pale blue eyes stared up at her appealingly.
hazel (=pale brown and slightly green or golden)
He was a quiet, kindly man, with hazel eyes.
sleepy/tired (also weary literary)
He rubbed his tired eyes and yawned.
moist/watery/tearful (=full of tears)
Bethan’s eyes grew moist as she talked about her family.
sad
He gazed at her with sad eyes as she slowly walked away.
cold/cruel (=unfriendly or unkind)
He smiled, but his blue eyes were cold and cruel.
big
She looked at me with those big brown eyes.
small
His small cold eyes seemed full of menace.
round/wide
The children gazed at the screen, their eyes wide with excitement.
narrow
He has a thin face and narrow eyes.
bulging (=round and sticking far out)
His bulging eyes made him rather look like a frog.
beady eyes (=small round and bright, and noticing a lot of things)
His beady eyes darted around the room.
deep-set (=far back in someone's face)
Mac’s eyebrows were thick and dark, above deep-set eyes.
close-set (=close together)
He had a small nose and close-set eyes.
wide-set (=wide apart)
Claudette studied the wide-set eyes that looked so innocent.
sunken (=having fallen inwards, especially because of age or illness)
The man's eyes were sunken, with deep black rings around them.
sleepy/tired
His eyes looked sleepy.
Her hair was a mess and her eyes were tired.
sad
Her beautiful eyes suddenly looked sad.
tearful/moist/misty (=feeling that you want to cry)
As she left a village, people waved at her with tearful eyes.
bright (=happy or excited)
the bright eyes of the children
cold (=unfriendly and not showing any emotion)
Her eyes were cold and uncaring.
red/bloodshot (=red because you are upset, tired, ill etc)
My mother's eyes were red from crying.
puffy (=swollen because you are ill or upset)
The girl's eyes were puffy and full of tears.
soulful eyes (=showing strong emotions, especially sadness)
The dog looked up at her with big soulful eyes.
wild/mad eyes (=very angry, afraid etc)
He stared at them with wild eyes.
hungry/greedy eyes (=showing that you want something very much )
The men looked around the room with their greedy eyes.
open your eyes
I slowly opened my eyes.
sb’s eyes open
Suddenly his eyes opened.
close/shut your eyes
Joe closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep.
sb’s eyes close
She let her eyes close for just a moment.
rub your eyes
Anna rubbed her eyes wearily.
shade/shield your eyes (=protect them from a bright light or the sun)
They gazed out to sea, shielding their eyes from the sun.
narrow your eyes (=partly close them, especially to show that you do not trust someone)
She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.
sb’s eyes narrow (=become half closed, especially because someone does not trust another person)
Her dark eyes narrowed for a moment.
sb’s eyes widen (=become more open because they are surprised)
His eyes widened in shock.
sb’s eyes sparkle/shine (=show that they are very happy)
Jenny’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
somebody's eyes light up (=become excited)
His eyes lit up when I mentioned the word money.
drop/lower your eyes (=look down at the ground)
The servants lowered their eyes as the countess walked past.
avert your eyes literary (=look away from something)
He averted his eyes from the body.
keep your eyes open (=prevent them from closing)
I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open.
have/keep etc your eyes glued to something (=be watching something with all your attention)
Ted sat with his eyes glued to the television.
sb’s eyes are full of tears
When she put the phone down, her eyes were full of tears.
sb’s eyes are full of hatred/fear etc
The prisoners stared at him, their eyes full of hatred.
an eye test (also an eye exam American English) (=to find out how well you can see)
You should have an eye test every couple of years.
eye make-up (=make-up that you put on your eyelids or eyelashes)
She never leaves the house without lipstick and eye make-up.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

eye
aɪ
See: apple of one's eye , bat an eye or bat an eyelash , believe one's eyes , catch one's eye , clear-eyed , close one's eyes or shut one's eyes , eyes open , eye out , eye to , feast one's eyes on , four-eyes , get the eye , give the eye , green-eyed monster , half an eye , have an eye on , have eyes only for , hit between the eyes , in one's mind's eye , in the public eye , keep an eye on or keep one's eye on , keep one's eyes peeled or keep one's eyes skinned , lay eyes on or set eyes on , look in the eye , make eyes at , meet one's eye , misty-eyed or dewey-eyed , one eye on , open one's eyes or open up one's eyes , out of the corner of one's eye , pull the wool over one's eyes , see eye to eye , shut-eye , sight for sore eyes , stars in one's eyes , round-eyed or wide-eyed also large-eyed , private eye , to the eye , up to the chin in or up to the eyes in , weather eye

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲