eyeball
Americannoun
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eyeballs
plural
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
The trick is so subtle it can “pass the human eyeball test,” said Ben Bernstein, a cybersecurity expert at Huntress Labs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
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
The mass behind his eyeball grew into his nasal cavity and the side of his neck, he told The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026
An eyeball scan is required to enter, and no photographs are permitted.
From Barron's ● Dec. 10, 2025
They paused at the door to eyeball Aston, Ma and me.
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
“When the market is wholly convinced there is a real project, eyeballs start to turn towards the detail around delivery.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
“There’s a good set of eyeballs on this deal, looking at a broad and diverse set of important issues,” Bonta said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Count on the ubiquitous “XX” that typically stand in for eyeballs on the Companion character and the artist’s other dark cartoonish creations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Having eyeballs on products during in-game breaks doesn't necessarily guarantee success, however.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Joey was facing me, but his eyeballs were up in the corners of his eyes.
From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli
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.
