Meaning & use
keep an eye out
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiominformal
To stay watchful so that you notice someone or something when it appears.
Grammar: No direct object; the thing you watch for follows for: keep an eye out for deer.
Patterns
- keep an eye out for something
- keep an eye out for someone
- keep an eye out
Keep an eye out for the bus while I lock the door.
Please keep an eye out for a gray cat near the garden.
Keep your eye out, because the sale starts tomorrow.
Word forms
| third person singular | keeps an eye out |
|---|---|
| past tense | kept an eye out |
| -ing form | keeping an eye out |
Common combinations
- keep an eye out for
- Keep an eye out for signs to the lake.
- keep a sharp eye out
- Keep a sharp eye out for ice on the road.
- keep an eye out for bargains
- I always keep an eye out for bargains.
- keep a lookout
- Keep a lookout while I park.
Synonyms and how they differ
- look out for
- Look out for is nearly the same, but can also mean to protect someone.
- watch for
- Watch for is more direct and less casual.
- be on the lookout
- Be on the lookout suggests more deliberate, sustained alertness.
- be alert
- Be alert is more general and does not point to a specific thing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: keep an eye out or keep an eye on?
keep an eye out vs keep an eye on
Keep an eye on someone or something means to watch over it, while keep an eye out for means to watch for it to appear.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom takes for before the thing you expect to see. The other options leave out for or add the wrong words.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “keep an eye out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.