eyeball

American  

[ahy-bawl] / ˈaɪˌbɔl /

noun

1. the ball or globe of the eye.

2. Informal. eyeballs, people who view or read something.

   Old TV shows are getting a lot of eyeballs online.

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verb (used with object)

1. Informal. to look at, check, or observe closely.

   two opponents eyeballing each other.

idioms

1. give (someone) the hairy eyeball, to look at (someone) with eyelids partly lowered, as in hostility or distrust.

eyeball British  

/ ˈaɪˌbɔːl /

noun

1. the entire ball-shaped part of the eye

2. in close confrontation

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verb

1. slang (tr) to stare at

Other Word Forms

• eyeballer noun

Etymology

Origin of eyeball

1580–90; 1900–05 eyeball for def. 3; eye + ball ¹

Example Sentences

World Cup host countries typically see boosts for their domestic leagues, and MLS bosses are determined to keep US eyeballs on the planet's biggest sport long after national teams have returned home.

From Barron's

It took no effort to remember; he’d stared at the words for so long the night before that it seemed like they were imprinted on his eyeballs.

From Literature

The fellow had dark eyes that, for a second, completely covered the whites of his eyeballs.

From Literature

And staring right into his eyeballs I told him, “There is never enough time for fun.”

From Literature

“We’ll have eyeballs around the world watching so we want to make sure we leave the community better than when we arrived.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• analyze
• check
• check out
• comb
• consider
• dissect
• explore
• inspect
• investigate
• look over
• peruse
• pore over
• probe
• scan
• sift
• watch
• weigh