Eye | Mean of eye in English Dictionary

/ˈaɪ/

• Noun
• the part of the body that you see with
1. Her eyes slowly became accustomed to the dark.
2. He wears a patch over one eye.
3. I have something in my eye.
4. He has (a pair of) bright blue eyes.
5. bright/sad/sleepy eyes
6. She has good/strong/bad/weak eyes. [=eyesight]
7. Her eyes lit up [=she looked excited and happy] when he showed her the ring.
8. His eyes were popping out of his head with astonishment [=he looked very astonished] when he saw how big it was!
9. He punched him right between the eyes. [=punched him hard in the face]
10. She looked me (right) in the eye [=she looked directly at me] and told me I was fired.
11. The garden is a feast for the eyes. [=the garden is very beautiful]
12. The display was very pleasing to the eye. [=pleasing to look at]
13. I measured the distance by eye. = I measured the distance with my eye. [=by looking at it to get a rough idea of its size]
14. Their daughter came home from school with tears in her eyes. [=she was crying]
15. Seeing her again brought tears to my eyes. = Seeing her again brought a tear to my eye. [=made me shed tears]
16. He had/kept half an eye on [=he occasionally looked at] the TV while he read the paper.
• an ability to understand and appreciate something seen
1. Only a trained eye can tell the difference between the original painting and a good copy.
2. For decorating, they rely on her discerning/discriminating/expert eye.
3. He has an artist's eye for color.
4. He has a keen eye for detail.
5. He has a good eye for quality.
• a way of looking at or judging something
1. He reviewed the proposal with a jaundiced/critical eye.
2. The biographer cast a cold/critical/skeptical eye on the artist's life.

• a way of looking at or thinking about something
1. We need to look at this problem with a fresh eye. [=to look at the problem in a new way]
2. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. [=different people have different ideas about what is beautiful]
3. He was guilty in the eyes of the police. [=the police considered him guilty]
4. He was handsome in her eyes. [=she thought he was handsome]
5. In the eyes [=opinion] of many, he is the best person for the job.
• the hole through the top of a needle
1. the eye of a needle
• a loop that a hook fits into to fasten or attach something
• an area on a potato from which a new plant can grow
• the center of a storm (such as a hurricane) where there is little wind or rain and sometimes there is clear sky
1. The eye of the storm should reach the coast by morning.
• watching something or someone closely
1. She was all eyes as I opened the box.
• as far as could be seen
1. The crowd stretched away as far as the eye could see.
• to read or look at (something) quickly
1. Please run your eye over this and let me know what you think.
2. She cast her eye over the apartment, appalled by the mess.
• to refuse to notice or accept the truth or existence of (something)
1. Our legislators have closed their eyes to the poverty that surrounds them.
• intended to be seen only by you
1. This memo is for your eyes only.
• to look at (someone) in a way that shows sexual attraction
1. Several men were giving her the eye across the bar.
• to be looking for (someone or something)
1. I'm keeping my eye out for a good cheap used car.
2. He'll be here soon, so keep your eye out for him.
• to have (something) in your thoughts as a goal or purpose
1. She has an eye to attending graduate school. [=she hopes to attend graduate school]
• to watch (someone or something) closely
1. I'll have my eye on the kids while they're swimming.
• to be thinking about buying (something)
1. I have my eye on a new car.
2. She's had her eye on that house for a long time.
• in a position that receives a lot of public notice and attention
1. The job requires someone who is comfortable being in the public eye.
• in a very short time
1. He was back in the twinkle/twinkling of an eye.
• to watch or take care of (someone or something)
1. Will you keep an eye on my suitcase (for me) while I get something to eat?
• to watch (something) very closely for a long time
1. They kept their eyes glued to the television, waiting for more news about the accident.
• to look or watch closely in order to see or find (something)
1. We kept our eyes peeled for a sign that would tell us where to turn.
• to see or look at (someone or something)
1. I hope never to lay eyes on him again!
2. We liked the house from the moment we set eyes on it. [=the moment when we first saw it]
• to only be attracted to (a particular person)
1. He only has eyes for you.
• to cause someone to notice or be aware of something important
1. The experience really opened his eyes and changed the way he felt about his life.
2. It's time they opened their eyes to the truth.
3. His film helped open people's eyes to the problem.
• to begin to notice or be aware of something important
1. You need to open your eyes and face the truth.
2. We have to open our eyes to these problems and stop ignoring them.
• to quickly read or look at (something, such as a list)
1. She ran her eye down the list looking for her name.
• to have the same opinion
1. They don't see eye to eye (with each other) on this issue.
• to stop looking at (someone or something)
1. I took my eyes off the road for one second.
2. She was so beautiful, he couldn't take his eyes off her.
• while being watched by (someone)
1. The students did their work under the watchful/vigilant eye of their teacher.
• deeply involved in or affected by something
1. We're up to our eyes in work. [=we are very busy]
2. They're up to their eyes in debt.
• with (something) in your thoughts as a goal or purpose
1. They hired him with an eye toward increased sales.
2. They bought the house with an eye toward its restoration.
3. He took the job with an eye to the future. [=he took the job because he felt it would help him in the future]
• fully aware of what could happen
1. I went into the job with my eyes (wide) open.
2. If you do this, you need to do it with both eyes open.
• with little or no effort
1. She could run that company with her eyes shut.
• Verb
• to watch or look at (someone or something) in a very close or careful way
1. I saw someone eyeing me from across the street.
2. The manager eyed us (up and down) as we walked into the restaurant.