eye contact

noun

: visual contact with another person's eyes

Examples of eye contact in a Sentence

He maintained eye contact with me throughout the conversation.

The speaker made eye contact with audience members.

The jury avoided eye contact with the defendant as the verdict was read.

Recent Examples on the Web

The complete setup is big enough to block actors’ line of sight, sometimes preventing them from keeping eye contact with their scene partners. — Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026

The episode is like a hothouse of feeling with every line delivery, moment of eye contact, and glancing touch landing humid and heavy. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 July 2026

The sing-song way adults naturally speak to babies, smiles and other facial expressions, gentle touch, eye contact, and back-and-forth exchanges all appear to help open that social gate and facilitate learning and healthy brain development. — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 14 July 2026

Eye contact Consistent eye contact usually signals engagement, but don't assume looking away is a bad sign. — Jeff Haden, CNBC, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for eye contact

• overreact
• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contract
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact

Kids Definition

eye contact

noun

: the act of looking another person straight in the eye

Medical Definition

eye contact

noun

: visual contact with another person's eyes