mind's eye

American

noun

the hypothetical site of visual recollection or imagination.

In her mind's eye she saw the city as it had been in Caesar's time.

mind's eye British

noun

the visual memory or the imagination

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mind's eye

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

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.

"Before their death, the heroic martyrs must have pictured in their mind's eye their dear families living in the ever-prospering country," he added.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

In the mind's eye you could imagine him stretched out on a couch with the sound of gently lapping water playing in his ears.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

Her new show, “Feel Free,” champions the mind’s eye, in all its random, fragmented glory.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026

Inside my mind’s eye, images are flashing by like scrapbook pages of events in our lives, highs and lows.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

In my mind’s eye, I tried to see myself as she had.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023