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

Once they lay eyes on me, to know me is to love me.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Strong words from someone I had never met and would more than likely never lay eyes on again.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2024

Of the hundreds of souls that gathered here in Lower Manhattan, only a few dozen journalists, police officers and lawyers would even lay eyes on the man they had come to see.

From Washington Post • Apr. 4, 2023

I never want to lay eyes on any Spiritualists again, and I wish to say clearly that I owe all my misfortune to that woman, my sister, Mrs. Underhill.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock