black eye

noun

1

: a discoloration of the skin around the eye from bruising

2

a

: defeat, setback

b

: a bad reputation

Examples of black eye in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With a black eye and an empty wallet, Tony decides to leave on the next morning’s ferry, but a chance encounter with Nancy changes his mind. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2026

Lynch said Shanahan has made notable progress since the accident and that the black eyes sustained in the crash have nearly gone away. — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 25 July 2026

Both Clark and Carrington said the contact was not intentional, but Clark was the player left with a black eye. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026

The episode, in addition to being a black eye for one of America’s most reliable corporate numbers-hitters, shows the mad scramble for dollars in the world of AI, which has been a giant sucking sound in the economy for a while now. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for black eye

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• deny

Kids Definition

black eye

noun

: a dark discoloration of the skin around the eye as the result of a bruise

Medical Definition

black eye

noun

: a discoloration of the skin around the eye from bruising