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eye definition

eye (ī)

noun

  1. the organ of sight in humans and animals
    1. the eyeball
    2. the iris brown eyes
  3. the area around the eye, including the eyelids to get a black eye
  4. the power of seeing; sight; vision weak eyes
  5. a look; glance; gaze to cast an eye on something
  6. attention; regard; observation
  7. the power of judging, estimating, discriminating, etc. by eyesight a good eye for distances
  8. judgment; opinion; estimation in the eyes of the law
  9. a thing like an eye in appearance or function; specif.,
    1. a bud of a tuber, as a potato
    2. the spot on a peacock's tail feather
    3. the center of a flower; disk
    4. a hole in a tool, as for a handle
    5. the threading hole in a needle
    6. a loop of metal, rope, or thread hook and eye
    7. an organ sensitive to light, as in certain lower forms of life
    8. photoelectric cell
    9. a section of any of certain cuts of meat eye of round
    10. a hole, as in certain cheeses
  10. Slang a private detective; private eye
  11. Meteorol. the calm, low-pressure area at the center of a hurricane, around which winds of high velocity move
  12. Naut. the part of the main deck of a vessel that is farthest forward

Etymology: ME ey, eie < OE ēage, akin to Ger auge < IE base *okw-, to see > Gr osse, eyes, ōps, face, eye, L oculus

transitive verb eyed, eyeing eye′·ing or eying ey′·ing

  1. to look at; watch carefully; observe
  2. to provide with eyes, or holes

intransitive verb

Obsolete to appear (to the eyes)
eye Idioms

all eyes

extremely attentive

an eye for an eye

punishment or retaliation similar or equivalent to the injury suffered

catch someone's eye

to attract someone's attention

eyes right (or left)

Mil. a command to snap the head to the right (or left) while marching, as a salute when passing in review

feast one's eyes on

to look at with pleasure or admiration

give someone the eye

☆
Slang to look at someone, esp. in an admiring or inviting way

have an eye for

to have a keen appreciation of

have an eye to

to watch out for; attend to

have eyes for

Informal to be very interested in and want

in a pig's eye

Slang never; under no circumstances

in the eye of the wind

Naut. directly against the wind

in the public eye

  1. much seen in public
  2. often brought to public attention; well-known

keep an eye on

to look after; watch carefully

keep an eye out for

☆
to be watchful for

keep one's eyes open (or peeled or skinned)

to be on the lookout; be watchful

lay (or set or clap) eyes on

to see; look at

make eyes at

to look at amorously or flirtatiously

my eye!

Slang an exclamation of contradiction, astonishment, etc.

open someone's eyes

to make someone aware of the facts, real reasons, etc.

run one's eye over

to glance at hurriedly

see eye to eye

to agree completely

see with half an eye

to see or understand (something) easily because it is so evident

shut one's eyes to

to refuse to see or think about

with an eye to

paying attention to; considering

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms eye idiom

medical eye definition - medical

eye Synonyms

eye

n.

  1. The organ of sight

    instrument of vision, compound eye, oculus (Latin), simple eye, ocellus (Latin), naked eye, optic, orb*, peeper*, lamp*. *

    Parts of the eye include: eyeball, ball, conjunctiva, pupil, retina, iris, cornea, ciliary body, eye muscles, lacrimal glands, optic nerve, aqueous humor, fovea, sclera, vitreous humor, choroid, white, lens, optic nerve.

  2. The power of seeing or judging

    perception, taste, discrimination; see appreciation 3, sight 1, taste 3.

  3. A center

    focus, core, heart, kernel; see center 1.

all eyes*

attentive, aware, perceptive; see observant 2.

an eye for an eye

punishment, retaliation, vengeance; see revenge 1.

catch one's eye

attract one's attention, cause notice, stand out; see appear 1, fascinate.

easy on the eyes*

attractive, appealing, pleasant to look at; see beautiful 1, 2, handsome 2.

feast one's eyes on*

look at with pleasure, be attracted to, watch with delight, admire; see like 1, watch 1.

give someone the eye*

look at, ogle, invite; see flirt 1, look 2, watch 1.

have an eye for

appreciate, be interested in, be discerning about; see appreciate 3, like 1.

have an eye to

watch out for, be mindful of, attend to; see watch out.

have eyes for*

appreciate, be interested in, desire; see like 1, want 1.

in a pig's eye*

under no circumstances, impossible, no way; see never.

in the public eye

well-known, renowned, celebrated; see famous.

keep an eye on

look after, watch over, protect; see guard 2.

keep an eye out for*

watch for, look for, be watchful, be on the alert; see watch 1.

keep one's eyes open <strong>or </strong>peeled<strong> or </strong>skinned*

be on the lookout, be watchful, be aware, look out; see watch 1.

lay </em>or </strong>set</em> or </strong>clap eyes on*

look at, see, view, notice; see see 1.

make eyes at

flirt with, ogle, invite; see flirt 1.

my eye!*

the hell!*, ridiculous, impossible; see never, no.

open one's eyes

make aware, inform, apprise; see enlighten 2, notify 1, tell 1.

run one's eyes over*

scan, skim, glance at; see examine 1, look 2, read 1.

see with half an eye*

comprehend, perceive, see; see understand 1.

shut one's eyes to

ignore, disregard, refuse to see, refuse to consider; see disregard, neglect 1, 2.

with an eye to

considering, mindful of, aware of; see considering.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

eye Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • keep: Keep an eye out... For old or unusual frames in junk shops.

Preposition: through

  • cornea: Light rays enter the front of our eye through the clear cornea and lens.

Adjective modifier

  • watchful: The cemetery is under the watchful eye of the local authority.

Modifies a noun

  • candy: If so, I'd like it if they lost the ( apparent ) eye candy.

Noun used with modifier

  • thine: Rub thine eyes, and behold the image of the heart. ' Ý Make yourself free from self at one stroke!

Preposition: of

  • beholder: It's is still very much in the eye of the beholder.
eye usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

eye quotes

Not what thou arte, ne what thou hast ben, beholdeth God with his mercyful iye; bot that thou woldest be.

-Anonymous

I know one thing we did right Was the day we started to fight, Keep your eye on the prize, Hold on, hold on!

-Anonymous

Where great whales come sailing by, Sail and sail, with unshut eye, Round the world for ever and aye.

-Arnold, Matthew

eye quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"eye." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/eye>

APA Style

eye. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/eye

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