Meaning & use
the evil eye
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Meanings
nounsingular
A belief that a look or stare from someone can cause bad luck, illness, or harm, often because of jealousy or envy.
Grammar: Always takes 'the' and is singular: 'the evil eye'. You say 'give someone the evil eye', 'cast the evil eye on someone', or 'be afraid of the evil eye'.
Patterns
- give someone the evil eye
- cast the evil eye on someone
- be afraid of the evil eye
- protect against the evil eye
In many Mediterranean countries, people wear a blue bead to protect against the evil eye.
She believed her neighbor had given her the evil eye after a series of bad luck.
The old woman muttered a prayer to ward off the evil eye.
nounsingular
An angry or hostile look that is believed to have the power to harm someone.
Grammar: Used in phrases like 'give someone the evil eye' meaning to look at someone in a very angry or threatening way, often because you are jealous.
Patterns
- give someone the evil eye
- get the evil eye from someone
When he walked into the room, his ex-girlfriend gave him the evil eye.
I got the evil eye from the teacher when I arrived late.
Common combinations
- give someone the evil eye
- She gave me the evil eye when I took the last piece of cake.
- cast the evil eye on someone
- In the story, the witch cast the evil eye on the village.
- protect against the evil eye
- They hung a charm on the door to protect against the evil eye.
- ward off the evil eye
- He made a gesture to ward off the evil eye.
- afraid of the evil eye
- Many people in the region are still afraid of the evil eye.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- evil-eyed adjective
- Having or giving an evil eye; looking at someone in a hostile way.
Commonly confused: the evil eye or evil eye?
the evil eye vs evil eye
Sometimes written without 'the', but in standard English it is almost always 'the evil eye'.
Practice
In many cultures, people wear a blue bead to protect themselves from ______.
Choose one answer.
The phrase is a fixed expression with 'the' and singular: 'the evil eye'. The other options are not used in this idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the evil eye”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.