eye

play

noun \ ˈī \

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

Trump just shook hands with the guy with the glass eye that says Trump.

— bryan lowry and jason hancock, kansascity, "That guy with the glass eye that says ‘Trump’? Trump shook his hand," 30 Aug. 2017
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
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein Ten offensive players in the Big Ten to keep an eye on during college football season.

— teddy greenstein, chicagotribune.com, "Which Northwestern freshman are expected to play? One's the son of former NBA player," 29 Aug. 2017
In what is emerging as a clear pattern for this administration, DACA’s biggest sin in Trump’s eyes might be that Obama thought of it first.

— cristian farias, Daily Intelligencer, "If Trump Plans to Expose Dreamers to Deportation, He Should Explain the Decision to Houston’s Young Immigrants," 29 Aug. 2017
Now, watch the complete evolution of eye shadow in three minutes:

— devon abelman, Allure, "NYX In Your Element Palette Collection: See Inside All 6," 29 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
Most Popular Ashley Gilbreath would rather hide under her covers than be in the public eye, but that's not going to be a choice now that her pilot, Sweet Home Renovation, has aired on HGTV.

— taysha murtaugh, Country Living, "11 Things You Need to Know About Ashley Gilbreath of HGTV's 'Sweet Home Renovation'," 25 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

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

See Words from the same year

eye Synonyms

Synonyms

band, circle, ¹ring, hoop, loop, round

Related Words

belt, cincture, collar, girdle; wreath; annulet, becket, coil, curl, furl, hank, spiral, spire, twirl, whorl

Near Antonyms

disregard, neglect, obliviousness, unawareness

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

Kasich, the Republican governor of Ohio, is eying Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, as a possible vice presidential candidate for an independent 2020 bid.

— jessie balmert, Cincinnati.com, "Kasich-Hickenlooper 2020? It could happen," 25 Aug. 2017
But the studio is also eyeing the impact Cruise’s injury could have on its next team-up, the Top Gun sequel, which is scheduled for July 2019.

— rebecca keegan, vanityfair.com, "Cruise Takes a Bruising," 17 Aug. 2017
The incident started when Hensley started mocking one of the women for being cross-eyed.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "This Woman Was Fired From Her Job After Her Racist Rant Towards Muslims Went Viral," 28 July 2017
The man reportedly eyed to lead the red team is the same one who originally floated the idea in a Wall Street Journal op-ed: Steve Koonin, a former Energy Department official in the Obama administration. --

— dino grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: Activists hounded lawmakers on health care. Al Gore says climate change is next.," 25 July 2017
Eagle-eyed pop culture addicts have already spotted Warner Bros.’s very own Harley Quinn, Batman, Freddy Krueger, the Iron Giant, Lara Croft, and an orc from The Lord of the Rings mixing with Tye Sheridan’s main character.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "The Sneaky New Way Studios Are Fast-Tracking Super Franchises," 22 July 2017
And such dynamism is often expressed by eyeing neighbors’ spiritual or concrete territory.

— victor davis hanson, National Review, "Lord Ismay, NATO, and the Old-New World Order," 5 July 2017
Rumors of a coach eyeing a move to the next level could crash five-star decisions and entire recruiting classes.

— fletcher page, The Courier-Journal, "Page | What's good for Calipari is good for Kentucky," 30 June 2017
Surface Shields, which makes protective coverings used at construction sites and in other applications, is eyeing relocating from Orland Park to a 101,000-square-foot building at 8451 W. 183rd Place.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "2 businesses looking to relocate to Tinley Park," 30 June 2017

First Known Use of eye

15th century

eye Synonyms

Synonyms

watch, follow, observe

Related Words

behold, look, perceive, regard, see, view; gape, gawk, gaze, glare, goggle, look on, peer, rubberneck, stare; guard, wake, ward; bird-dog, monitor, study; spy; espy, glance, glimpse, peek, peep

Near Antonyms

blink, wink

EYE Defined for English Language Learners

eye

play

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

play

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

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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

play

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

—