: either of the movable folds of skin and muscle that can be closed over the eyeball

Examples of eyelid in a Sentence

the upper eyelid of the left eye
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Healthcare providers sometimes gently pull down the lower eyelid to look for conjunctival pallor, which means the tissue appears unusually pale. Julie Scott, Verywell Health, 4 July 2026 Last month, an 11-year-old girl was treated for severe burns on her left cheek and eyelid. Josh Taylor, CBS News, 29 June 2026 With encouragement from a fellow actor friend — whom Peck opted not to name — Peck got a lower-eyelid blepharoplasty in 2023. Louis Peitzman, Entertainment Weekly, 24 June 2026 In Second Nature, scientists theorize that Darwin couldn’t help but impose his own heterosexual ideations on animal reproduction, mainly that animals only copulate for the purposes of reproduction, with males being the aggressors and females fluttering their eyelids behind lace fans, or something. Rachel Brodsky, Rolling Stone, 20 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for eyelid

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of eyelid was in the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Eyelid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eyelid. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

: one of the movable lids of skin and muscle that can be closed over the eyeball

Medical Definition

: either of the movable lids of skin and muscle that can be closed over the eyeball

called also palpebra

More from Merriam-Webster on eyelid

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!