Meaning & use
eye on ball
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
the act of watching a ball closely during a game so you can hit or catch it well.
Grammar: Used mainly after keep: keep your eye on the ball. It can also stand alone as a short piece of advice.
Patterns
- keep your eye on the ball
- keep an eye on the ball
- take your eye off the ball
The coach shouted at the young players to keep their eye on the ball.
If you take your eye off the ball for a second, you will miss the shot.
She kept her eye on the ball and returned every serve.
phraseidiomfigurative
the habit of staying focused on your main goal instead of being distracted.
Grammar: Usually appears in keep your eye on the ball; the possessive changes with the subject.
Patterns
- keep your eye on the ball
- keep an eye on the ball
- lose your eye on the ball
With so many deadlines this month, I have to keep my eye on the ball and finish the report.
The manager told the team to keep their eye on the ball and not worry about office gossip.
When you are saving for a house, it helps to keep your eye on the ball.
Word forms
| usual form | keep your eye on the ball |
|---|---|
| negative form | take your eye off the ball |
Common combinations
- keep your eye on the ball
- Keep your eye on the ball and you will pass the exam.
- keep an eye on the ball
- She kept an eye on the ball during the whole match.
- take your eye off the ball
- He took his eye off the ball and lost the contract.
- never take your eye off the ball
- In this job you can never take your eye off the ball.
- really keep your eye on the ball
- You need to really keep your eye on the ball in the final minutes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- focus
- Focus is a general word for paying attention; eye on the ball is more informal and comes from sport.
- concentrate
- Concentrate is a verb and sounds more neutral; keep your eye on the ball is an idiom used in encouragement.
- stay on track
- Stay on track is about following a plan; keep your eye on the ball is about not being distracted from the goal.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: eye on ball or eyes on the ball? eye on ball or eye contact?
eye on ball vs eyes on the ball
People sometimes write eyes on the ball, but the fixed idiom uses a singular eye: keep your eye on the ball.
eye on ball vs eye contact
Eye contact means looking at someone's eyes while talking; it has nothing to do with sport or focus on a goal.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The fixed idiom is keep your eye on the ball, and the plural eyes is also common in real use: keep your eyes on the ball. Option 2 is missing the possessive your, option 3 uses the wrong article and a, and option 4 is missing both the possessive and the article.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “eye on ball”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.