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

Howe perhaps had one eye on the upcoming Premier League clash with Liverpool as Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and top scorer Harvey Barnes started on the bench in the French capital.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

And there was no danger of the visitors having one eye on Sunday's Wear-Tyne derby.

From BBC • Dec. 10, 2025

I ate quickly with one eye on King George.

From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson

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