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

Former Gateway Church senior pastor Robert Morris recently suffered a medical incident that left him with a black eye and three broken bones in his face, according to the 65-year-old’s attorney. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026

Without anymore than that and taking into account several black eye losses for the conference, metrics the playoff committee supposedly uses like SOS and SOR will likely be dragged down. — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

The pinniped pup looked around quizzically with large, black eyes before lumbering into the surf with abandon — as only the young can. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Still, prediction markets have suffered black eyes this year. — Marc Levy, Fortune, 8 Sep. 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