wall eyes

Meanings

1. 1nounpluralinformal

   Eyes that show a lot of white and look as if they are turned outward, especially in horses and dogs.

   Grammar: Always plural in this sense; it describes a pair of eyes, so you say 'The horse has wall eyes,' not 'a wall eye.'

   Patterns

   • have wall eyes
   • with wall eyes

   The gray mare has wall eyes, so the whites show clearly when she looks sideways.

   Some breeds of dog are more likely to have wall eyes than others.

   The vet said the puppy's wall eyes were harmless and would not affect its sight.

2. 2nounpluralinformal

   A condition in which one or both eyes appear to turn outward, sometimes used of people.

   Grammar: Used as a plural noun; if you need a singular form, say 'a wall eye' or 'walleye' for one affected eye.

   Patterns

   • have wall eyes
   • be born with wall eyes

   He was born with wall eyes, which made people think he was looking past them.

   Her wall eyes were corrected with glasses when she was a child.

Common combinations

have wall eyes

The old horse has wall eyes, but he can still see well enough to ride.

with wall eyes

She adopted a cat with wall eyes from the shelter.

a horse with wall eyes

A horse with wall eyes was once thought to bring bad luck.

Synonyms and how they differ

walleye

This is the singular form and also the name of a fish; use it for one eye, and 'wall eyes' for both.

cross-eyes

This describes eyes that turn inward, the opposite direction from wall eyes.

Word family

walleye noun

A single eye that turns outward, or a type of fish with large, cloudy eyes.

walleyed adjective

Having wall eyes; also used informally to mean staring wildly.

Commonly confused: wall eyes or wall-eyed?

Practice

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