eye

noun \ ˈī \

Updated on: 22 May 2018

Definition of eye

1 a : a specialized light-sensitive sensory structure of animals that in nearly all vertebrates, most arthropods, and some mollusks is the image-forming organ of sight; especially : the nearly spherical usually paired hollow organ of sight in vertebrates that is filled with a jellylike material, is lined with a photosensitive retina, and is lodged in a bony orbit in the skull

b : all the visible structures within and surrounding the orbit and including eyelids, eyelashes, and eyebrows

c (1) : the faculty of seeing with eyes

(2) : the faculty of intellectual or aesthetic perception or appreciation

an eye for beauty

(3) : skill or ability dependent upon eyesight

a batter with a good eye

d : look, glance

cast an eager eye

e (1) : an attentive look

kept an eye on his valuables

(2) : attention, notice

caught his eye

(3) : close observation : scrutiny

works under the eye of her boss

in the public eye

f : point of view, judgment

beauty is in the eye of the beholder

—often used in plural

an offender in the eyes of the law

2 : something having an appearance suggestive of an eye: such as

a : the hole through the head of a needle

b : a usually circular marking (as on a peacock's tail)

c : loop; especially : a loop or catch to receive a hook

d : an undeveloped bud (as on a potato)

e : an area like a hole in the center of a tropical cyclone marked by only light winds or complete calm with no precipitation

f : the center of a flower especially when differently colored or marked; specifically : the disk of a composite

g (1) : a triangular piece of beef cut from between the top and bottom of a round

(2) : the chief muscle of a chop

(3) : a compact mass of muscular tissue usually embedded in fat in a rib or loin cut of meat

h : a device (such as a photoelectric cell) that functions in a manner analogous to human vision

3 : something central : center

the eye of the problem
—Norman Mailer

4 : the direction from which the wind is blowing

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eyeless

play \ˈī-ləs\ adjective

—

eyelike

play \ˈī-ˌlīk\ adjective

— an eye for an eye

: retribution in kind

— my eye

—used to express mild disagreement or sometimes surprise

a diamond, my eye! That's glass

— with an eye to or less commonly with an eye toward

1 : with awareness or contemplation of

with an eye to the future

2 : with the object of

built the house with an eye to adding on later

See eye defined for English-language learners

See eye defined for kids

Examples of eye in a Sentence

Her eyes slowly became accustomed to the dark.
He wears a patch over one eye.
I have something in my eye.
Only a trained eye can tell the difference between the original painting and a good copy.
For decorating, they rely on her discerning eye.
He has an artist's eye for color.
He reviewed the proposal with a jaundiced eye.
The biographer cast a cold eye on the artist's life.

Recent Examples of eye from the Web

In addition to claiming more natural resources and trading posts, the British also had their eye on a piece of priceless treasure: the Koh-i-Noor.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "The True Story of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond—And Why the British Won’t Give It Back," 30 Aug. 2017
My students were unimpressed, but in my eyes, at least the Dutch still-lifes conveyed some kind of attempt at universal truth.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Reflections of an Accidental Florist," 28 Aug. 2017
His observant eye focuses most frequently on his opponents, and even more frequently on women.

— kaitlin menza, Town & Country, "Is Trump the Driving Force Behind D.C.'s Plastic Surgery Boom?," 23 Aug. 2017
With Isaiah Robertson (Notre Dame) and Owen Piche (Navy) now graduated, eyes will be on two of Wheeler's baseball teammates, Trevor Tesmond and Jake Wenz.

— blake baumgartner, Naperville Sun, "Neuqua's Ryan Wheeler aims to duplicate baseball success in football," 22 Aug. 2017
There are enough nearby islands that a meaningful deviation from what ships crews were seeing with their own eyes would have been glaringly obvious.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "No, the USS McCain Wasn't a Victim of GPS Spoofing," 21 Aug. 2017
Nora Harris is a small woman with graying brown hair and dark, confused eyes.

— jonel aleccia, Kaiser Health News, "Despite Advance Directive, Dementia Patient Denied Last Wish, Says Spouse," 21 Aug. 2017
The city’s armor, its shiny office surfaces, deflected my attention back to the streets whenever my eyes wandered.

— jessica brown, Longreads, "Searching London for My ‘Third Place’," 18 July 2017
Eyes jerk rapidly, limb muscles become temporarily paralyzed.

— cincinnati enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "How to fix common sleep problems," 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eye.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The eye is an organ that receives light and visual images. Non-image forming eyes (also called direction eyes) are found among worms, mollusks, cnidarians, echinoderms, and other invertebrates. Image-forming eyes are found in certain mollusks, most arthropods, and nearly all vertebrates. Arthropods are unique in possessing a compound eye, which results in their seeing a multiple image that is partially integrated in the brain. Lower vertebrates, such as fish, have eyes on either side of the head, allowing a maximum view of the surroundings, but producing two separate fields of vision. In predatory birds and mammals, binocular vision is more important. The placement of both eyes on the front of the head permits a larger overlap of the two visual fields, resulting in a parallel line of direct sight.

Illustration of eye

Origin and Etymology of eye

Middle English, from Old English ēage; akin to Old High German ouga eye, Latin oculus, Greek ōps eye, face, Sanskrit akṣi eye

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

eye Synonyms

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

eye

verb

Definition of eye

eyed; eyeing or eying

transitive verb

1 a (1) : to fix the eyes on : look at

they eyed him suspiciously

(2) : contemplate, consider

eyeing the choices

b : to watch or study closely

eyeing changes in the stock market

2 : to furnish with an eye

intransitive verb

obsolete : seem, look

—

eyer

play \ˈī(-ə)r\ noun

See eye defined for English-language learners

Examples of eye in a Sentence

I saw someone eyeing me from across the street.
a lot of his backyard bird watching was spent eyeing the squirrels as they depleted the bird feeder of seeds

Recent Examples of eye from the Web

Most other Democrats, including those eyeing presidential runs in 2020, voted against Haspel in what may become a defining issue for Democrats.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Gina Haspel confirmed as CIA chief despite scrutiny of her role in interrogation program," 17 May 2018
Most other Democrats, including those eyeing presidential runs in 2020, voted against Haspel in what may become a defining issue for Democrats.

— lisa mascaro, Fox News, "Senate votes to confirm Haspel as 1st female CIA director," 17 May 2018
Hello had eyed Cleveland as a market for some time before finally making the move, explained spokesperson Kevin O'Connell.

— nikki delamotte, cleveland.com, "Sneak peek: Fast-casual Hello Bistro opens first Ohio location in Beachwood (photos)," 15 May 2018
The Swiss attorney general is eyeing the $1.2 million deal that Novartis made with Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer, but is not conducting any criminal probe at this time, according to a statement from the federal prosecutor.

— ed silverman, STAT, "Swiss prosecutor eyes Novartis deal with Cohen, but no criminal probe is under way – for now," 14 May 2018
Hurricane season doesn't officially start until June 1, but the National Hurricane Center is already eying a disturbance in the gulf.

— carli teproff, miamiherald, "Tropical disturbance in Gulf of Mexico expected to drench South Florida this week | Miami Herald," 13 May 2018
The restaurants' owner, Mill Avenue Management Group, is eyeing other spots in Chandler and the East Valley, but couldn't offer specifics, said James Hamilton, a spokesman for the restaurants.

— jerod macdonald-evoy, azcentral, "Fire permanently closes Modern Margarita and La Bocca Urban Kitchen in Chandler," 10 May 2018
Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee, is eyeing several cities for its own 2020 convention, including Las Vegas and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to the Charlotte Observer.

— NBC News, "Eager Democrats 2020 prep: DNC eyes convention cities, debates, rule changes," 9 May 2018
Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke are reportedly being eyed to star in the project.

— sydney scott, Essence.com, "The Quick Read: Academy Award-Winning 'Get Out' Director Jordan Peele Announces New Film 'Us'," 9 May 2018

First Known Use of eye

15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

eye Synonyms

Synonyms

chew over, cogitate, consider, contemplate, debate, deliberate, entertain, kick around, meditate, mull (over), perpend, ponder, pore (over), question, revolve, ruminate, study, think (about or over), turn, weigh, wrestle (with);

Near Antonyms

disregard, ignore, overlook, slight;

dismiss, pooh-pooh (also pooh), reject;

analyze, explore, review;

conclude, reason;

second-guess, speculate (about);

brood (about or over), dwell (on or upon), fixate (on or upon), fret (about or over), obsess (about or over);

believe, conceive, opine;

absorb, assimilate, digest, drink (in);

Phrases

beat one's brains out (about), chew on, cudgel one's brains (about), look at;

EYE Defined for English Language Learners

eye

noun

Definition of eye for English Language Learners

: the part of the body that you see with
: an ability to understand and appreciate something seen
—used to describe the way something looks to you

eye

verb

Definition of eye for English Language Learners

: to watch or look at (someone or something) in a very close or careful way

EYE Defined for Kids

eye

noun \ ˈī \

Definition of eye for Students

1 : the organ of seeing that in vertebrates is a round organ filled with a jellylike material, is located in a bony cavity in the skull, and has a lens which focuses light on the retina

2 : the eye along with its surrounding parts (as the eyelids)

3 : the colored surface of the iris

He has blue eyes.

4 : the ability to see

I have good eyes.

5 : the ability to recognize or appreciate

He has a good eye for color.

6 : ²glance

It caught my eye.

7 : close attention : watch

Keep an eye on dinner.

8 : judgment 1

They are guilty in the eyes of the law.

9 : something like or suggesting an eye

the eye of a needle

10 : the center of something

the eye of a hurricane

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eyed

\ˈīd\ adjective

—

eyeless

\ˈī-ləs\ adjective

Headscratcher for eye

Eye is the only body part that is spelled the same forwards and backwards.

eye

verb

Definition of eye for Students

eyed; eyeing or eying

: to look at : watch closely

They eyed the stranger suspiciously.

Medical Dictionary

eye

noun \ ˈī \

medical Definition of eye

1 : an organ of sight; especially : a nearly spherical hollow organ that is lined with a sensitive retina, is lodged in a bony orbit in the skull, is the vertebrate organ of sight, and is normally paired

2 : all the visible structures within and surrounding the orbit and including eyelids, eyelashes, and eyebrows

3 : the faculty of seeing with eyes

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