one eye on

Idioms

Paying some but not full attention to, as in He ran the rehearsal with one eye on the clock. Also see have one's eye on; out of the corner of one's eye; see with half an eye.

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.

But he’s definitely keeping at least one eye on politics.

From Salon • May 3, 2026

“There is one eye on the market screens and one on Trump’s Truth Social page.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

They are both in the thick of the relegation battle at the bottom of the table and will surely have at least one eye on that, rather than being fully focused on the FA Cup.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Despite scoring in the last six games, Dominic Calvert-Lewin started on the bench as Daniel Farke had one eye on the visit of Manchester United to Elland Road on Saturday.

From Barron's • Jan. 1, 2026

He sank his ponderous bulk into a chair beside Father, fixed one eye on me, the other on the ceiling, and said, “Five lumps, please.”

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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