roll your eyes

Meaning

1. 1phraseidiominformal

   To turn your eyes upward for a moment to show that you are annoyed, bored or do not believe something.

   Grammar: The possessive matches the subject: he rolled his eyes; often followed by at.

   Patterns

   • roll your eyes at someone
   • roll your eyes at something

   My brother rolled his eyes when Dad told the same joke again.

   She rolled her eyes at the excuse and walked away.

   I could not help rolling my eyes during the long speech.

Word forms

Common combinations

roll your eyes at someone

The teenager rolled her eyes at her mother.

roll your eyes in disbelief

He rolled his eyes in disbelief at the price.

can't help rolling your eyes

I can't help rolling my eyes when he brags.

roll your eyes and sigh

She rolled her eyes and sighed before answering.

roll your eyes dramatically

He rolled his eyes dramatically to make everyone laugh.

Synonyms and how they differ

scoff

Scoff is a spoken or sound reaction of mockery, while rolling your eyes is a silent gesture.

sneer

Sneer shows scorn with the mouth and face, and is harsher than the more casual eye roll.

groan

Groan is a noise of annoyance rather than a visible movement of the eyes.

Word family

eye-roll noun

the gesture itself, as in a dramatic eye-roll

eye-rolling adjective

causing or showing an eye roll

roll verb

to turn over and over or move in a circle

Commonly confused: roll your eyes or raise your eyebrows?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “roll your eyes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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