eye
noun
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Definition of eye
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : 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
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
: retribution in kind
—used to express mild disagreement or sometimes surprise a diamond, my eye! That's glass
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
eye
verbDefinition of eye (Entry 2 of 2)
1a(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
Illustration of eye
Noun
eye 1a: 1 optic nerve, 2 blind spot, 3 fovea, 4 sclera, 5 choroid, 6 retina, 7 ciliary body, 8 posterior chamber, 9 anterior chamber, 10 cornea, 11 lens, 12 iris, 13 suspensory ligament, 14 conjunctiva, 15 vitreous humor
In the meaning defined above
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Other words from eye
Noun
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adjective
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adjective
Verb
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noun
Synonyms for eye
Synonyms: Noun
belief, conviction, feeling, judgment (or judgement), mind, notion, opinion, persuasion, sentiment, verdict, view
Synonyms: Verb
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)
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Examples of eye in a Sentence
Noun
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.Verb
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 on the Web: Noun
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 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Then at age 17, in 1999, Lang Lang was flipping through a music magazine at the Rittenhouse Square Barnes & Noble store, eyeing a concert listing for a gala at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, and dreaming about playing there. — David Patrick Stearns, Philly.com, "Lang Lang's recovery: Will he ever play in Philly again?," 12 July 2018 When the race went to overtime, Stenhouse also was involved in the multi-car crash that occurred on the frontstretch as the field eyed the white flag. — Mike Hembree, USA TODAY, "Ricky Stenhouse Jr. knee deep in the chaos of Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona," 8 July 2018 Despite the formal dress, William and Harry are shown mid-conversation, eying each other with a comfortable informality that only two brothers could share. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "The Palace Releases Never-Before-Seen Paintings of Prince Harry, Prince William, and More British Royals," 2 July 2018 With lots of teams eyeing up Vrsaljko - Napoli also thought to be joining the interest from England - Atletico hold all the cards. — SI.com, "Inter's Offer for Sime Vrsaljko Rejected By Atletico Madrid Amid Premier League Interest," 28 June 2018 However warily American and Chinese leaders eye each other, economic self-interest keeps their most hawkish impulses in check. — The Economist, "Sino-American interdependence has been a force for geopolitical stability," 23 June 2018 But increasingly, Smith would be attracted by women as much by their looks as enviously eying their clothes, jewelry and make-up. — Matt Majendie, CNN, "Transgender jockey inspired by Caitlyn Jenner switches from Vince to Victoria," 8 June 2018 Look for fans and pundits alike to be eyeing another Kerber-Williams singles final in Mason next month. — Patrick Brennan, Cincinnati.com, "Angelique Kerber downs Serena Williams at Wimbledon in lead-up to Western & Southern Open," 14 July 2018 Later, The Information reported that Uber was already eyeing August as a potential start date. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "Uber laid off its self-driving car safety drivers in Pittsburgh," 11 July 2018These 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.
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Learn More about eye
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
The History of 'Side-eye'
The History of 'Side-eye'
We have our eyes on this one
Statistics for eye
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for eye
The first known use of eye was before the 12th century
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More Definitions for eye
eye
noun
English Language Learners Definition of eye
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of eye (Entry 2 of 2)
: to watch or look at (someone or something) in a very close or careful way
See the full definition for eye in the English Language Learners Dictionary
eye
noun
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Kids Definition of eye
(Entry 1 of 2)
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 : glance entry 2 It caught my eye.
7 : close attention : watch Keep an eye on dinner.
8 : judgment sense 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
eye
verbKids Definition of eye (Entry 2 of 2)
: to look at : watch closely They eyed the stranger suspiciously.
eye
noun
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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
Other words from eye
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adjective
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adjective
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