Meaning & use
eye
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Meanings
nouncountable
One of the two organs in the head that people and many animals use to see.
Grammar: Plural is eyes; people have two: close your eyes.
Patterns
- in someone's eye
- with the naked eye
She rubbed her tired eyes and put down the book.
The dog has one blue eye and one brown eye.
Dust blew into my eye, and it started to water.
verbtransitive
To look at someone or something closely, often because you are interested, suspicious or want it for yourself.
Grammar: Takes an object: she eyed the cake.
Patterns
- eye someone/something with suspicion
- eye someone/something up
The cat eyed the bird on the fence.
He eyed the stranger warily as he sat down.
Several firms are eyeing the empty warehouse as a possible site.
nounsingular
A talent for noticing, judging or appreciating something, especially its quality or appearance.
Grammar: Usually used with 'a' and 'for': an eye for detail.
Patterns
- an eye for something
- a good eye
She has a sharp eye for bargains at flea markets.
The editor's careful eye caught every small error.
He has a good eye for color and arranges the shop beautifully.
nounsingular
The calm center of a storm such as a hurricane, or any central point around which things turn.
Grammar: Usually appears in the eye of something.
Patterns
- the eye of the storm
The sky turned clear as we passed through the eye of the hurricane.
She stayed calm in the eye of the storm.
The calm in the eye lasted only twenty minutes.
nouncountable
The small hole at the blunt end of a needle through which thread passes.
Grammar: Often appears as the eye of a needle.
Patterns
- the eye of a needle
He squinted as he tried to thread the eye of the needle.
The eye is too small for this thick yarn.
Use a needle with a larger eye.
Word forms
| plural | eyes |
|---|---|
| third person singular | eyes |
| past tense | eyed |
| past participle | eyed |
| -ing form | eyeing |
Common combinations
- keep an eye on
- Could you keep an eye on my bag while I buy a ticket?
- catch someone's eye
- A bright red scarf in the window caught her eye.
- see eye to eye
- My sister and I rarely see eye to eye about music.
- in the public eye
- Actors live much of their lives in the public eye.
- turn a blind eye
- The manager turned a blind eye to the small mistake.
- a keen eye
- The inspector has a keen eye for fakes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gaze at
- Gaze at means to look steadily and for a while, often with admiration, but it does not carry the suspicion that eye often has.
- watch
- Watch is a general word for looking at something over time, whereas eye suggests a quick, intent look with some motive.
- ogle
- Ogle describes looking in a rude, openly sexual way, which is much more negative than eye.
- scrutinize
- Scrutinize means to examine carefully and in detail, and it is more formal than eye.
Word family
Commonly confused: eye or I? eye or aye?
eye vs I
The letter and pronoun I sounds the same as eye, so check the context when writing.
eye vs aye
Aye sounds like eye and means yes, mostly in Scottish, northern English or nautical speech.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'eye' in the sense of a talent for noticing quality?
Choose one answer.
A good eye for something means skill at judging it. The other sentences use eye for the body part, the hole in a needle and the center of a storm.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “eye”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.