eyeball
Americannoun
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the ball or globe of the eye.
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Informal. eyeballs, people who view or read something.
Old TV shows are getting a lot of eyeballs online.
verb (used with object)
idioms
noun
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the entire ball-shaped part of the eye
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in close confrontation
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of eyeball
1580–90; 1900–05 eyeball for def. 3; eye + ball 1
Explanation
Your eyeball is the round, ball-shaped part of your eye. When you go to an eye doctor, she will take a close look at your eyeballs. Every vertebrate — or animal with a spine — has eyeballs that sit within an eye socket. Your eyeballs are your organs of sight, making it possible for you to see light and color and to focus on the things you're looking at, sending all of these messages to your brain. You can also use the word eyeball, informally, as a verb: "Why do you always eyeball me when I walk by? Is it my strange hat?"
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.
On Wednesday morning, I walked into Channel 4's offices in central London and took a seat in a room eyeball to eyeball with its boss.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Locals loved the story about the one-eyed New York man who had a special bloodshot glass eyeball made, so that when he came to L.A. on business, his fake eye matched his real one.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
It causes the eyeball to grow longer from front to back, making it harder to focus farther away.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025
An eyeball scan is required to enter, and no photographs are permitted.
From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025
A musical saw would provide excellent background accompaniment, and the hero's eyeball may be superimposed upon the debate scene in a most symbolic manner.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
