eye

[ ahy ]

/ aɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR eye ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural eyes, (Archaic) ey·en or eyne.

the organ of sight, in vertebrates typically one of a pair of spherical bodies contained in an orbit of the skull and in humans appearing externally as a dense, white, curved membrane, or sclera, surrounding a circular, colored portion, or iris, that is covered by a clear, curved membrane, or cornea, and in the center of which is an opening, or pupil, through which light passes to the retina.

the aggregate of structures situated within or near the orbit that assist, support, or protect the eye.

this organ with respect to the color of the iris: blue eyes.

the region surrounding the eye: a black eye; puffy eyes.

sight; vision: a sharp eye.

the power of seeing; appreciative or discriminating visual perception: the eye of an artist.

a look, glance, or gaze: to cast one's eye at a beautiful necklace.

an attentive look, close observation, or watch: to be under the eye of a guard.

regard, view, aim, or intention: to have an eye to one's own advantage.

a manner or way of looking at a thing; estimation; opinion: in the eyes of the law.

a center of light, intelligence, influence, etc.

something resembling or suggesting the eye in appearance, shape, etc., as the opening in the lens of a camera, a peephole, or a buttonhole.

Botany.

the bud of a potato, Jerusalem artichoke, etc.
a small, contrastingly colored part at the center of a flower.

the central spot of a target; bull's-eye.

a choice center cut of meat: an eye of round; the eye of the rib.

one of the round spots on the tail feathers of a peacock.

the hole in a needle.

a hole made in a thing for the insertion of some object, as the handle of a tool: the eye of an ax.

a metal or other ring through which something, as a rope or rod, is passed.

the loop into which a hook is inserted.

Electronics. a photoelectric cell or similar device used to perform a function analogous to visual inspection.

Building Trades. a ring on the end of a tension member, as an eye bar or eye bolt, for connection with another member.

a hole formed during the maturation of cheese, especially Emmenthaler or Gruyère.

a loop worked at the end of a rope.

Meteorology. the approximately circular region of relatively light winds and fair weather found at the center of a severe tropical cyclone.

eyes, Nautical. the extreme forward part of the upper deck at the bow of a vessel.

Nautical. the precise direction from which a wind is blowing.

verb (used with object), eyed, ey·ing or eye·ing.

to fix the eyes upon; view: to eye the wonders of nature.

to observe or watch narrowly: She eyed the two strangers with suspicion.

to make an eye in: to eye a needle.

verb (used without object), eyed, ey·ing or eye·ing.

Obsolete. to appear to the eye.

Nearby words

eyak, eyalet, eyam, eyas, eyck, eye, eye appeal, eye bank, eye bath, eye candy, eye chart

Idioms

an eye for an eye, repayment in kind, as revenge for an injustice.

be all eyes, to give all one's attention to something; look intently.

catch someone's eye, to draw or attract someone's attention: to catch the waiter's eye.

give (someone) the eye, Informal. to look fixedly at (another person), especially with obvious admiration; ogle: She ignored the men who were giving her the eye.

have an eye for, to have the ability to appreciate distinctions in; be discerning or perceptive about: She has an eye for antique furniture.

have eyes only for,

to want no other person or thing but: She was always surrounded by admirers, but she had eyes only for Harry.
to see, or view, or desire to see only.

Also only have eyes for.

in a pig's eye, Slang. absolutely not; never: In a pig's eye I will!

keep an eye on, to watch over attentively: Please keep an eye on my plants while I'm away.

keep an eye out for, to be vigilant in looking or watching for: The announcer told his listeners to keep an eye out for the escaped criminal.

keep one's eye on the ball, to remain attentive; be especially alert.

keep one's eyes open, to be especially alert or observant.

lay/clap/set eyes on, Informal. to catch sight of; see: They had never laid eyes on such a big car before.

make eyes at, to gaze flirtatiously or amorously at.

my eye! Informal. (a mild exclamation of contradiction or surprise): He says he wasn't told about this? My eye!

open one's eyes, to bring someone to a realization of the truth or of something previously unknown: A trip through Asia opened his eyes to the conditions under which millions had to live.

pick the eyes out, Australia and New Zealand. to select the best parts or items.

run one's eye over, to glance briefly at; examine hastily.

see eye to eye, to have exactly the same opinion; agree: They have never been able to see eye to eye on politics.

see with half an eye, to see or realize immediately or with ease: Anyone can see with half an eye that the plan is doomed to fail.

shut one's eyes to, to refuse to see or consider; disregard: We can no longer shut our eyes to the gravity of the situation.

sight for sore eyes, a welcome sight; a pleasant surprise: After our many days in the desert, the wretched village was a sight for sore eyes.

with an eye to, with a plan or purpose of: with an eye to one's future.

with one's eyes open, aware of the inherent or potential risks: She signed the papers with her eyes open.

Origin of eye

before 900; Middle English eie, ie, Old English ēge, variant of ēage; cognate with German Auge; akin to Latin oculus, Greek ṓps, Sanskrit akṣi

Related forms

eye·a·ble, adjectiveeye·like, adjectiveey·er, nounun·der·eye, noun, verb (used with object), un·der·eyed, un·der·ey·ing or un·der·eye·ing.

un·eye·a·ble, adjective

Can be confused

aye eye I

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for eye

They eye the door anxiously, convinced that at any moment, a Pakistani or Iranian intelligence officer will come barging in.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was so shocked because I opened my Twitter app with one eye.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Protesting|Rawiya Kameir, Judnick Mayard|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tolkien, channeling something similar, conjured the Eye of Sauron.
McConaughey’s ‘Stand’—And Ours|James Poulos|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Richard Wright would never see eye to eye with you about your lifestyle.
Living Black & Gay in the ’50s|Alain Mabanckou|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Recipients in a cryobank can peruse donor files and see hair color, eye color, race, height, IQ, and so on.
Have Sperm, Will Travel: The ‘Natural Inseminators’ Helping Women Avoid the Sperm Bank|Elizabeth Picciuto|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Squire stood glumly hesitating, but with his eye on his son.
Elizabeth's Campaign|Mrs. Humphrey Ward
He discovered, to his misfortune, a small grated window, to which he applied his eye.
Eastern Tales by Many Story Tellers|Various
Tell's eye was true, so he consented to the horrible proposal.
Golden Deeds|Anonymous
And the burning wood hissed in the eye, just as the red-hot iron hisses in the water when a man seeks to temper steel for a sword.
Myths and Legends of All Nations|Various
Curious rivulets of tawny brown ran here and there as far as the eye could reach.
Francisco Our Little Argentine Cousin|Eva Cannon Brooks

British Dictionary definitions for eye (1 of 2)

eye

/ (aɪ) /

noun

the organ of sight of animals, containing light-sensitive cells associated with nerve fibres, so that light entering the eye is converted to nervous impulses that reach the brain. In man and other vertebrates the iris controls the amount of light entering the eye and the lens focuses the light onto the retinaRelated adjectives: ocular, oculate, ophthalmic, optic

(often plural) the ability to see; sense of visionweak eyes

the visible external part of an eye, often including the area around itheavy-lidded eyes; piercing eyes

a look, glance, expression, or gazea stern eye

a sexually inviting or provocative look (esp in the phrases give (someone) the (glad) eye, make eyes at)

attention or observation (often in the phrases catch someone's eye, keep an eye on, cast an eye over)

ability to recognize, judge, or appreciatean eye for antiques

(often plural) opinion, judgment, point of view, or authorityin the eyes of the law

a structure or marking having the appearance of an eye, such as the bud on a twig or potato tuber or a spot on a butterfly wing

a small loop or hole, as at one end of a needle

a small area of low pressure and calm in the centre of a tornado or cyclone

See photocell

informal See private eye

all eyes informal acutely vigilant or observantthe children were all eyes

my eye or all my eye informal rubbish; nonsense

an eye for an eye retributive or vengeful justice; retaliation

cut one's eye after someone, cut one's eye at someone or cut one's eye on someone Caribbean to look rudely at a person and then turn one's face away sharply while closing one's eyes: a gesture of contempt

eyes out NZ with every possible efforthe went at the job eyes out

get one's eye in mainly sport to become accustomed to the conditions, light, etc, with a consequent improvement in one's performance

half an eye

a modicum of perceptivenessanyone with half an eye can see she's in love
continuing unobtrusive observation or awarenessthe dog had half an eye on the sheep

have eyes for to be interested inshe has eyes only for him

in one's mind's eye pictured within the mind; imagined or remembered vividly

in the public eye exposed to public curiosity or publicity

keep an eye open or keep an eye out to watch with special attention (for)

keep one's eyes peeled or keep one's eyes skinned to watch vigilantly (for)

look someone in the eye to look at someone openly and without shame or embarrassment

make eyes or make sheep's eyes old-fashioned to ogle amorously

more than meets the eye hidden motives, meaning, or facts

pick the eyes out Australian and NZ to select the best parts or pieces (of)

see eye to eye to agree (with)

set eyes on, lay eyes on or clap eyes on (usually used with a negative) to seeshe had never laid eyes on him before

the eye of the wind nautical the direction from which the wind is blowing

turn a blind eye to or close one's eyes to to pretend not to notice or ignore deliberately

up to one's eyes extremely busy (with)

with a … eye in a … mannerhe regards our success with a jealous eye

with an eye to or having an eye to (preposition)

regarding; with reference towith an eye to one's own interests
with the intention or purpose ofwith an eye to reaching agreement

with one's eyes open in the full knowledge of all relevant facts

with one's eyes shut

with great ease, esp as a result of thorough familiarityI could drive home with my eyes shut
without being aware of all the facts

verb eyes, eyeing, eying or eyed (tr)

to look at carefully or warily

Also: eye up to look at in a manner indicating sexual interest; ogle

Derived Forms

eyeless, adjectiveeyelike, adjective

Word Origin for eye

Old English ēage; related to Old Norse auga, Old High German ouga, Sanskrit aksi

British Dictionary definitions for eye (2 of 2)

eye

/ (aɪ) /

noun

another word for nye

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for eye

eye

[ ī ]

n.

An organ of vision or of light sensitivity.

Either of a pair of hollow structures located in bony sockets of the skull, functioning together or independently, each having a lens capable of focusing incident light on an internal photosensitive retina from which nerve impulses are sent to the brain; the organ of vision.

The external, visible portion of this organ together with its associated structures, especially the eyelids, eyelashes, and eyebrows.

The pigmented iris of this organ.

The faculty of seeing; vision.

Science definitions for eye

eye

[ ī ]

Anatomy The vertebrate organ of sight, composed of a pair of fluid-filled spherical structures that occupy the orbits of the skull. Incoming light is refracted by the cornea of the eye and transmitted through the pupil to the lens, which focuses the image onto the retina.

Zoology An organ in invertebrates that is sensitive to light. See more at compound eye eyespot.

Botany A bud on a tuber, such as a potato.

Meteorology The relatively calm area at the center of a hurricane or similar storm. See more at hurricane.

Culture definitions for eye

eye

The organ of sight. Some of its parts are the cornea, iris, lens, optic nerve, pupil, and retina.

Idioms and Phrases with eye

eye

In addition to the idioms beginning with eye

eye for an eye, an
eye opener, an
eyes are bigger than one's stomach, one's
eyes in the back of one's head, have
eyes open, with
eye to eye
eye to the main chance, have an
eye to, with an

also see:

all eyes
apple of one's eye
believe one's ears (eyes)
bird's-eye view
black eye
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
catch someone's eye
close one's eyes
cry one's eyes out
eagle eye
easy on the eyes
evil eye
feast one's eyes on
give someone the once-over (eye)
green-eyed monster
have an eye for
have one's eye on
hit between the eyes
hit the bull's-eye
in a pig's eye
in one's mind's eye
in the eye of the wind
in the public eye
in the twinkling of an eye
keep an eye on
keep an eye out
keep a weather eye
keep one's eye on the ball
keep one's eyes open
lay eyes on
look someone in the face (eye)
make eyes at
more than meets the eye
my eye
naked eye
one eye on
open one's eyes
out of the corner of one's eye

private eyepull the wool over someone's eyesrun one's eyes oversee eye to eyesee with half an eyesight for sore eyesstars in one's eyesthrow dust in someone's eyesturn a blind eyeup to one's ears (eyes)with an eye towith one's eyes openwithout batting an eye.