Meaning & use
eyeful
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Meanings
nounsingularinformal
A long, close look at something, usually something surprising or striking.
Grammar: Usually appears with an or an: take an eyeful, get an eyeful.
Patterns
- get an eyeful of something
- give someone an eyeful
Come to the window and get an eyeful of that sunset.
The kids got an eyeful when the circus parade rolled down our street.
He opened the door and took an eyeful of the mess inside.
nounsingularinformalold-fashioned
A person or thing that is striking to look at, often someone very attractive.
Grammar: Used after a: she was quite an eyeful.
Patterns
- be an eyeful
In her red coat she was quite an eyeful.
That vintage sports car is an eyeful, isn't it?
nounsingularinformal
A small amount of dust, liquid or other matter that gets into the eye.
Grammar: Often follows get or catch: he got an eyeful of sand.
Patterns
- get an eyeful of something
The wind blew and I got an eyeful of grit.
He took an eyeful of shampoo and yelped.
Word forms
| plural | eyefuls |
|---|
Common combinations
- get an eyeful
- Get an eyeful of the view from the top floor.
- take an eyeful
- Take an eyeful of this new design.
- give someone an eyeful
- The fireworks gave the crowd an eyeful.
- a real eyeful
- The wedding cake was a real eyeful.
Synonyms and how they differ
- look
- is neutral and brief, whereas an eyeful suggests a long, attentive stare at something remarkable.
- glimpse
- means a quick partial view, the opposite of the lingering view an eyeful implies.
- eyeful of
- is the common set pattern, but the phrase gawk suggests rude staring while eyeful is playful.
- stunner
- names the attractive thing itself, while eyeful can also mean the act of looking.
Opposites
Word family
- eye noun
- the organ of sight
- eyeball verb
- to look at closely
- eye-catching adjective
- attracting attention at once
- eyesore noun
- something ugly to look at
Commonly confused: eyeful or eyesore?
eyeful vs eyesore
An eyesore is something ugly; an eyeful is a good long look or something striking.
Practice
Choose the best word: 'Come and get an ___ of this view!'
Choose one answer.
Get an eyeful of means take a good long look. An eyesore is an ugly thing, and the others are body parts that do not fit the pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “eyeful”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.