side-eye

noun

ˈsīd-ˌī 

variants or less commonly side eye

plural side-eyes also side eyes

: a sidelong glance or gaze (as of scorn, suspicion, disapproval, or veiled curiosity)

The guy who stole your heart as the class clown can seem like just a clown out of his original context, like when people are giving him side-eye for cracking lame jokes in the hostess line.

—Lauren Panariello

—often used with the

… is super quiet, so your roommate won't give you the side-eye every time you turn it on.

—Daniel Boan

… the singular focus on results washes away concerns about getting the side-eye from a colleague judging you for not being in your cubicle …

—Jack O'Laughlin, quoted in The Chicago Tribune

side-eye verb, transitive + intransitive

side-eyed; side-eyeing or side-eying; side-eyes

She wears clothes that would have Kerry Washington's Olivia Pope side-eyeing in envy.

—Kevin Fallon

Examples of side-eye in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Vonn, who was in town for the Met Gala earlier that week, also posted a flirty side-eye comment on one of Bailet’s recent shirtless Instagram posts. — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2026

The Kansas City Current announced an attendance of 18,000 on Sunday, which was met with plenty of side-eye from those in person and on the internet. — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2026

He is surrounded by a parade of savvier comic archetypes — from his urbane, happily rational brother, Beralde (Dylan Baker), to his smart-aleck maid, Toinette (Rachel Bloom, giving eternal side-eye) — who have to either evade or manipulate him. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Adams, usually so conciliatory, plainly voices her disgust with the unethical Mexican clinic which gave McQueen false hope, and side-eyes his late-in-life turn to Christianity. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for side-eye

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi