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eye contact

American  

noun

  1. the act of looking directly into another's eyes.

    We never made eye contact at any time during the interview.

  2. Psychology. a meeting of the eyes of two persons, regarded as a meaningful nonverbal form of communication.


eye contact British  

noun

  1. a direct look between two people; meeting of eyes

    he maintained eye contact with his interrogator

"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

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.

See Examples For:

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

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

On 15 July last year, Creasy made eye contact with Wilby on a Victoria line train.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

“I couldn’t help myself,” he says: He instinctively made eye contact with someone in the crowd.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

And then Jonah and I make eye contact.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

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