EYE


Meaning of EYE in English

/ aɪ; NAmE / noun , verb

■ noun

PART OF BODY

1.

[ C ] either of the two organs on the face that you see with :

The suspect has dark hair and green eyes.

to close / open your eyes

to drop / lower your eyes (= to look down)

There were tears in his eyes.

I have something in my eye.

to make / avoid eye contact with sb (= to look / avoid looking at them at the same time as they look at you)

All eyes were on him (= everyone was looking at him) as he walked on to the stage.

—see also black eye , compound eye , lazy eye , shut-eye

2.

-eyed (in adjectives) having the type or number of eyes mentioned :

a blue-eyed blonde

a one-eyed monster

ABILITY TO SEE

3.

[ sing. ] the ability to see :

A surgeon needs a good eye and a steady hand.

—see also eagle eye

WAY OF SEEING

4.

[ C , usually sing. ] a particular way of seeing sth :

He looked at the design with the eye of an engineer.

She viewed the findings with a critical eye.

To my eye , the windows seem out of proportion.

OF NEEDLE

5.

[ C ] the hole in the end of a needle that you put the thread through

—picture at needle

ON CLOTHES

6.

[ C ] a small thin piece of metal curved round, that a small hook fits into, used for fastening clothes :

It fastens with a hook and eye .

OF STORM

7.

[ sing. ] a / the ~ of a / the storm, tornado, hurricane, etc. a calm area at the centre of a storm, etc.

ON POTATO

8.

[ C ] a dark mark on a potato from which another plant will grow

—see also Catseye , bullseye , the evil eye , fisheye lens , red-eye

IDIOMS

- be all eyes

- before / in front of sb's (very) eyes

- be up to your eyes in sth

- cast / run an eye / your eyes over sth

- clap / lay / set eyes on sb/sth

- an eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth)

- sb's eyes are bigger than their stomach

- for sb's eyes only

- get your eye in

- have an eye for sth

- have eyes in the back of your head

- have (got) eyes like a hawk

- have one eye / half an eye on sth

- have your eye on sb

- have your eye on sth

- in the eyes of the law, world, etc.

- in sb's eyes

- keep an eye on sb/sth

- keep an eye open / out (for sb/sth)

- keep your eye on the ball

- keep your eyes peeled / skinned (for sb/sth)

- look sb in the eye(s) / face

- make eyes at sb | give sb the eye

- my eye!

- not see eye to eye with sb (on sth)

- not (be able to) take your eyes off sb/sth

- one in the eye (for sb/sth)

- only have eyes for / have eyes only for sb

- see, look at, etc. sth through sb's eyes

- shut / close your eyes to sth

- take your eye off the ball

- under the (watchful) eye of sb

- what the eye doesn't see (the heart doesn't grieve over)

- with an eye for / on / to the main chance

- with an eye to sth / to doing sth

- with your eyes open

- with your eyes shut / closed

—more at apple , bat verb , beauty , believe , bird , blind adjective , blink noun , blue adjective , catch verb , close (II) adjective , cock verb , corner noun , dry noun , easy adjective , far adverb , feast verb , hit verb , meet verb , mind noun , naked , open adjective , open verb , please verb , public adjective , pull verb , roving , sight noun , twinkling , weather noun

■ verb

( eye·ing or eying , eyed , eyed ) [ vn ] to look at sb/sth carefully, especially because you want sth or you are suspicious of sth :

to eye sb suspiciously

He couldn't help eyeing the cakes hungrily.

They eyed us with alarm.

PHRASAL VERBS

- eye sb up

••

WORD ORIGIN

Old English ēage , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch oog and German Auge .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.