Meaning & use
whites of eyes
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Meanings
nounplural
The white parts of the eyeball around the colored iris, visible when someone looks wide-eyed or is close.
Grammar: Plural with a possessive: the whites of her eyes.
Patterns
- the whites of someone's eyes
The whites of her eyes turned red after she swam in the chlorinated pool.
You could see the whites of his eyes when the dog barked.
The doctor looked at the whites of the baby's eyes to check for yellowing.
phraseidiomfigurative
The idea of being very close to someone or something; in see the whites of their eyes, close enough to be sure and act.
Grammar: Used mainly in the phrase wait until you see the whites of their eyes.
Patterns
- see the whites of someone's eyes
Don't commit until you see the whites of their eyes, meaning until you are sure.
The sales team waited until they could see the whites of the buyer's eyes before offering a discount.
Common combinations
- see the whites of someone's eyes
- The sentries waited to see the whites of the enemy's eyes.
- yellowing of the whites of the eyes
- Yellowing of the whites of the eyes can be a sign of jaundice.
- red whites of the eyes
- Allergies left the whites of her eyes red and itchy.
- show the whites of the eyes
- The frightened horse showed the whites of its eyes.
- roll the whites of the eyes
- He rolled the whites of his eyes in annoyance.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sclera
- Sclera is the medical term for the whites of the eyes and is used in science and medicine.
- eyeballs
- Eyeballs refers to the whole eye, not just the white part.
- close quarters
- Close quarters describes being near someone, and matches the figurative sense of the idiom.
Word family
Commonly confused: whites of eyes or pupil?
whites of eyes vs pupil
The pupil is the black center of the eye, while the whites are the outer layer around the colored iris.
Practice
The doctor noticed that the ___ looked yellow, which may point to a liver problem.
Choose one answer.
Yellowing of the whites of the eyes is a classic sign of jaundice. The other body parts are not where this symptom is typically seen.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “whites of eyes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.