lay eyes on

Idioms  

1. Also,. Look at, see, as in As soon as I laid eyes on him I knew he would be perfect for the lead in our play, or I'd never set eyes on such a beautiful gown. The first term dates from the early 1200s and the third from the late 1300s; the second, using clap in the sense of “a sudden movement,” dates from the first half of the 1800s.

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Example Sentences

To the droves of Portuguese fans who packed NRG Stadium just to lay eyes on him, Ronaldo had never left.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

Others assembled nearby, hoping for a chance to merely lay eyes on her or, perhaps, to get lucky enough to join the meet-and-greet.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2025

They know they’re both spies when they lay eyes on each other for the first time at the New York apartment doubling as their HQ.

From Salon • Feb. 2, 2024

It was there, on the outskirts of Jordan, Montana, that Brown became the first human to lay eyes on the monstrous form of the T. rex.

From Slate • Jul. 4, 2022

My mother went over to school to personally lay eyes on the kid, wanting to assess what kind of threat he posed.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama