Meaning & use
keep your eye out
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
to stay alert and watch carefully for something or someone you hope to find
Grammar: Usually followed by 'for' and the thing you are looking for: keep your eye out for a taxi.
Patterns
- keep your eye out for something
- keep your eye out for someone
Keep your eye out for a parking space while I drive around the block.
I'll keep my eye out for your keys when I clean the living room.
She kept her eye out for a familiar face in the crowd.
Common combinations
- keep your eye out for
- Keep your eye out for sales on winter coats.
- keep an eye out
- Could you keep an eye out while I run into the store?
- keep your eyes out
- Keep your eyes out for the turnoff; it's easy to miss.
Synonyms and how they differ
- watch for
- More direct and neutral; it simply means look for something, without the idea of staying alert over time.
- look out for
- Very similar, but often suggests protecting someone or being careful of danger, not just searching.
- keep an eye on
- Means watch something continuously to make sure it is safe or behaving, not search for something new.
Commonly confused: keep your eye out or keep an eye on?
keep your eye out vs keep an eye on
This means watch someone or something carefully, e.g. keep an eye on the baby. 'Keep your eye out' means watch for something you hope to find.
Practice
We need more milk. Can you ______ while you're at the store?
Choose one answer.
'Keep an eye out' is the common fixed phrase meaning watch for something you hope to find. 'Keep your eye out' is also possible but less idiomatic here; 'keep an eye on' would need an object like the baby, not milk.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “keep your eye out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.