eye contact
Americannoun
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the act of looking directly into another's eyes.
We never made eye contact at any time during the interview.
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Psychology. a meeting of the eyes of two persons, regarded as a meaningful nonverbal form of communication.
noun
Etymology
Origin of eye contact
First recorded in 1960–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Whether he’s pressing interviewers about their glibness or just holding eye contact for an inordinate amount of time, Cruise — the last movie star, as he’s been coined — is the definition of passion.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
Well, it's not exactly Mariah Carey demanding baskets of puppies and forbidding eye contact, but Imbruglia was shaken up.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
How to speak so someone listens, how to make eye contact, how to focus on what’s happening between two people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
There is often no eye contact during these casual exchanges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
“Thanks,” I say, without making eye contact, and I shift away, hoping he can take a hint.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
