Illustration of eye
- 1 optic nerve
- 2 blind spot
- 3 fovea
- 4 sclera
- 5 choroid
- 6 retina
- 7 ciliary body
- 8 posterior chamber
- 9 anterior chamber
- 10 cornea
- 11 lens
- 12 iris
- 13 suspensory ligament
- 14 conjunctiva
- 15 vitreous humor
eye
1 of 2noun
ˈī 
1
a
: a specialized light-sensitive sensory structure of animals that in nearly all vertebrates, most arthropods, and some mollusks is the image-forming organ of sight
especially : the nearly spherical usually paired hollow organ of sight in vertebrates that is filled with a jellylike material, is lined with a photosensitive retina, and is lodged in a bony orbit in the skull
b
: all the visible structures within and surrounding the orbit and including eyelids, eyelashes, and eyebrows
c(1)
: the faculty of seeing with eyes
(2)
: the faculty of intellectual or aesthetic perception or appreciation
an eye for beauty
(3)
: skill or ability dependent upon eyesight
a batter with a good eye
d
: look, glance
cast an eager eye
e(1)
: an attentive look
kept an eye on his valuables
(2)
: attention, notice
caught his eye
(3)
: close observation : scrutiny
works under the eye of her boss
in the public eye
f
: point of view, judgment
beauty is in the eye of the beholder
—often used in plural an offender in the eyes of the law
2
: something having an appearance suggestive of an eye: such as
a
: the hole through the head of a needle
b
: a usually circular marking (as on a peacock's tail)
c
: loop
especially : a loop or catch to receive a hook
d
: an undeveloped bud (as on a potato)
e
: an area like a hole in the center of a tropical cyclone marked by only light winds or complete calm with no precipitation
f
: the center of a flower especially when differently colored or marked
specifically : the disk of a composite
g(1)
: a triangular piece of beef cut from between the top and bottom of a round
(2)
: the chief muscle of a chop
(3)
: a compact mass of muscular tissue usually embedded in fat in a rib or loin cut of meat
h
: a device (such as a photoelectric cell) that functions in a manner analogous to human vision
3
: something central : center
the eye of the problem—
Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer4
: the direction from which the wind is blowing
eyeless
ˈī-ləs
adjective eyelike
ˈī-ˌlīk
adjective eye
2 of 2verb
eyed; eyeing or eying
transitive verb
1
a(1)
: to fix the eyes on : look at
they eyed him suspiciously
(2)
: contemplate, consider
eyeing the choices
b
: to watch or study closely
eyeing changes in the stock market
2
: to furnish with an eye
intransitive verb
obsolete : seem, look
eyer
ˈī(-ə)r
noun 
Did you know?
The eye is an organ that receives light and visual images. Non-image forming eyes (also called direction eyes) are found among worms, mollusks, cnidarians, echinoderms, and other invertebrates. Image-forming eyes are found in certain mollusks, most arthropods, and nearly all vertebrates. Arthropods are unique in possessing a compound eye, which results in their seeing a multiple image that is partially integrated in the brain. Lower vertebrates, such as fish, have eyes on either side of the head, allowing a maximum view of the surroundings, but producing two separate fields of vision. In predatory birds and mammals, binocular vision is more important. The placement of both eyes on the front of the head permits a larger overlap of the two visual fields, resulting in a parallel line of direct sight.
Synonyms
Noun
- band
- circle
- hoop
- loop
- ring
- round
Verb
- follow
- observe
- watch
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun Her eyes slowly became accustomed to the dark. He wears a patch over one eye. I have something in my eye. Only a trained eye can tell the difference between the original painting and a good copy. For decorating, they rely on her discerning eye. He has an artist's eye for color. He reviewed the proposal with a jaundiced eye. The biographer cast a cold eye on the artist's life. Verb I saw someone eyeing me from across the street. a lot of his backyard bird watching was spent eyeing the squirrels as they depleted the bird feeder of seeds See More
Recent Examples on the WebJasmine Washington, Seventeen, 16 Feb. 2023 Fans will see pitch clocks on each side of the batter’s eye at each ballpark. —Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2023 Modern emulators of classic home computers like the Commodore 64 allow games to be loaded in the blink of an eye. —IEEE Spectrum, 14 Feb. 2023 To help both sides adhere to the rules, all ballparks will be equipped with five timers — one on each side of the batters’ eye in center field, one near each on-deck circle and one on the facing of the second deck directly behind home plate. —Theo Mackie, The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2023 Through the commotion, Trippie commands attention with his vocals, vacillating between cartoonish warbles and metal screams in the blink of an eye. —Kenan Draughornestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2023 Despite the sharp uptick, Biden has remained out of the public eye -- with no public events on Monday. —Ben Gittleson, ABC News, 13 Feb. 2023 The mom of two has rarely shared photos of her family over the years and typically keeps her daughters out of the public eye. —Andrea Wurzburger, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2023 As Franklin senior anchor Hope Xayaveth touched the wall first to cap a 3:41.45 clocking, Pridman caught the action from the corner of her eye and burst into tears. —Cam Kerry, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Feb. 2023 Michael Shapiro, Chron, 13 Dec. 2022 Jobs has been the word of the week as investors eye a slew of data highlighting a strong labor market that is confoundingly resistant to the Fed’s attempts to cool the economy. —Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Jan. 2023 Herbstreit says to eye their Week 2 matchup against the University of Texas-San Antonio as a good test to find out what the team is. —Dallas News, 30 Aug. 2022 The Aggies will take on the winner of Washington State-BYU on March 29 and will eye the winner of Xavier-St. —Dallas News, 23 Mar. 2022 One particular scene shows a coughing mask wearer remove his mask to hock up some phlegm -- basically negating the point of wearing the mask in the first place -- as nearby pedestrians eye him in fear and disgust. —Jeremy Hsu, Discover Magazine, 30 June 2015 As the Dodgers eye their second title of the century, perhaps Verlander could be the missing piece. —Michael Shapiro, Chron, 25 Nov. 2022 Incoming chairmen would eye Hunter Biden, COVID origins, Big Tech scrutiny. —Trish Turner, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2022 On tap today: Investors will eye U.S. producer-price data at 8:30 a.m. ET and minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting at 2 p.m. ET. —Chelsey Dulaney, WSJ, 12 Oct. 2022 See More
Noun
Pictures from the beginning of their relationship were the only evidence connecting the duo, who kept their 'ship away from social media and out of the public eye. —Jasmine Washington, Seventeen, 16 Feb. 2023 Fans will see pitch clocks on each side of the batter’s eye at each ballpark. —Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2023 Modern emulators of classic home computers like the Commodore 64 allow games to be loaded in the blink of an eye. —IEEE Spectrum, 14 Feb. 2023 To help both sides adhere to the rules, all ballparks will be equipped with five timers — one on each side of the batters’ eye in center field, one near each on-deck circle and one on the facing of the second deck directly behind home plate. —Theo Mackie, The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2023 Through the commotion, Trippie commands attention with his vocals, vacillating between cartoonish warbles and metal screams in the blink of an eye. —Kenan Draughornestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2023 Despite the sharp uptick, Biden has remained out of the public eye -- with no public events on Monday. —Ben Gittleson, ABC News, 13 Feb. 2023 The mom of two has rarely shared photos of her family over the years and typically keeps her daughters out of the public eye. —Andrea Wurzburger, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2023 As Franklin senior anchor Hope Xayaveth touched the wall first to cap a 3:41.45 clocking, Pridman caught the action from the corner of her eye and burst into tears. —Cam Kerry, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Feb. 2023 Verb
Silas and the Rockets will eye their sixth win in the last 10 games on Tuesday night. —Michael Shapiro, Chron, 13 Dec. 2022 Jobs has been the word of the week as investors eye a slew of data highlighting a strong labor market that is confoundingly resistant to the Fed’s attempts to cool the economy. —Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Jan. 2023 Herbstreit says to eye their Week 2 matchup against the University of Texas-San Antonio as a good test to find out what the team is. —Dallas News, 30 Aug. 2022 The Aggies will take on the winner of Washington State-BYU on March 29 and will eye the winner of Xavier-St. —Dallas News, 23 Mar. 2022 One particular scene shows a coughing mask wearer remove his mask to hock up some phlegm -- basically negating the point of wearing the mask in the first place -- as nearby pedestrians eye him in fear and disgust. —Jeremy Hsu, Discover Magazine, 30 June 2015 As the Dodgers eye their second title of the century, perhaps Verlander could be the missing piece. —Michael Shapiro, Chron, 25 Nov. 2022 Incoming chairmen would eye Hunter Biden, COVID origins, Big Tech scrutiny. —Trish Turner, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2022 On tap today: Investors will eye U.S. producer-price data at 8:30 a.m. ET and minutes from the Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting at 2 p.m. ET. —Chelsey Dulaney, WSJ, 12 Oct. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old English ēage; akin to Old High German ouga eye, Latin oculus, Greek ōps eye, face, Sanskrit akṣi eye
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)
Phrases Containing eye
Kids Definition
eye
1 of 2 noun ˈī
1
a
: an organ of sight
especially : a rounded hollow organ that is filled with a jellylike material, is lined with a sensitive retina, and is located in a bone-lined cavity in the skull of a vertebrate
b
: all the visible parts (as the eyelids) within and surrounding the bone-lined cavity
2
a
: ability to see or appreciate
a good eye for painting
b
: glance entry 2 sense 3
cast an eager eye
c
: close attention or observation
keep an eye on it
d
: judgment sense 1
guilty in the eyes of the law
3
: something like or suggestive of an eye: as
a
: the hole through the head of a needle
b
: a loop to catch or receive a hook
c
: an undeveloped bud (as on a potato)
d
: a device (as a photoelectric cell) that functions somewhat like human vision
4
: the center of something
the eye of a hurricane
eyed adjective
ˈīd
eyeless
ˈī-ləs
adjective eyelike
-ˌlīk
adjective eye
2 of 2 verb eyed; eyeing or eying
: to watch or study closely
Medical Definition
eye
noun ˈī
1
: an organ of sight
especially : a nearly spherical hollow organ that is lined with a sensitive retina, is lodged in a bony orbit in the skull, is the vertebrate organ of sight, and is normally paired
2
: all the visible structures within and surrounding the orbit and including eyelids, eyelashes, and eyebrows
3
: the faculty of seeing with eyes
eyeless
ˈī-ləs
adjective eyelike
-ˌlīk
adjective eye 1 of 2
noun
1
as in loop
a circular strip push the drawstring through the metal eye and knot it on one end Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- loop
- hoop
- ring
- round
- band
- circle
- belt
- wreath
- collar
- coil
- girdle
- whorl
- curl
- spire
- spiral
- hank
- twirl
- cincture
- becket
- furl
- annulet
2
as in attention
a state of being aware this young actor has the eye of every director in Hollywood Synonyms & Similar Words
- attention
- awareness
- ear
- mindfulness
- mind
- observation
- note
- notice
- consciousness
- knowledge
- heed
- cognizance
- observance
- care
- perception
- consideration
- advertency
- understanding
- advertence
- concern
- regard
- thought
- watch
- recognition
- discernment
- grasp
- hyperawareness
- apprehension
- advisement
- hyperconsciousness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- disregard
- neglect
- obliviousness
- unawareness
3
as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest this wilderness area is at the eye of the controversy between conservation and development Synonyms & Similar Words
- center
- focus
- hub
- heart
- mecca
- capital
- nucleus
- seat
- base
- cynosure
- central
- locus
- navel
- core
- axis
- ground zero
- nexus
- playground
- nerve center
- epicenter
- headquarters
- omphalos
- where it's at
- hot spot
- magnet
- attraction
- pith
- soul
- hive
- essence
- nub
- deep
- thick
- hotbed
- kernel
- playland
- lodestone
- polestar
- loadstone
- happy hunting ground
- quintessence
4
as in mind
an idea that is believed to be true or valid without positive knowledge in my eye, cats make better pets than dogs Synonyms & Similar Words
- mind
- opinion
- view
- belief
- feeling
- attitude
- impression
- conviction
- perception
- judgment
- sentiment
- judgement
- observation
- verdict
- comment
- notion
- thought
- persuasion
- idea
- say
- guess
- perspective
- reflection
- advice
- stand
- viewpoint
- assumption
- theory
- estimate
- take
- remark
- suggestion
- angle
- estimation
- concept
- decision
- determination
- stance
- conception
- esteem
- slant
- position
- hypothesis
- faith
- shoes
- presumption
- input
- deliverance
- hunch
- standpoint
- recommendation
- outlook
- presupposition
- conjecture
- credit
- conclusion
- obiter dictum
- surmise
- credence
- counterview
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- fact
- truth
5
as in glimpse
an instance of looking especially briefly all of the hungry luncheon guests cast an eager eye on the buffet table as they took their seats Synonyms & Similar Words
- glimpse
- glance
- peek
- look
- gaze
- stare
- sight
- peep
- glare
- view
- gander
- cast
- squint
- regard
- gape
- ogle
- leer
- side-glance
- squinny
- coup d'oeil
6
as in eyesight
the ability to see her eyes are diminishing with age Synonyms & Similar Words
- eyesight
- sight
- vision
- myopia
- squint
- strabismus
- astigmatism
- diplopia
- nearsightedness
- hyperopia
- presbyopia
- farsightedness
- hypermetropia
- double vision
- aniseikonia
7
as in gaze
a fixed intent look peering through the binoculars with a sharp eye Synonyms & Similar Words
- gaze
- stare
- scrutiny
- glare
- attention
- gape
- aspect
- regard
- observation
- fixation
- examination
- inspection
- surveillance
- watch
- glower
- contemplation
- survey
- observance
- study
- perusal
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sight
- glance
- glimpse
- blink
- flash
- peep
- peek
- stime
- scan
- ogle
- browse
- oeillade
eye
2 of 2verb
1
as in to watch
to keep one's eyes on a lot of his backyard bird watching was spent eyeing the squirrels as they depleted the bird feeder of seeds Synonyms & Similar Words
- watch
- observe
- gaze
- stare
- view
- follow
- look
- glare
- guard
- goggle
- see
- peer
- monitor
- ward
- perceive
- behold
- have one's eye on
- gape
- glimpse
- look on
- regard
- spy
- peep
- study
- wake
- glance
- peek
- rubberneck
- gawk
- espy
- bird-dog
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- blink
- wink
2
as in to notice
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes I wondered who tracked dirt all over the floor until I eyed the muddy sneakers Synonyms & Similar Words
- notice
- spot
- see
- sight
- regard
- view
- spy
- remark
- espy
- perceive
- catch
- note
- witness
- behold
- watch
- discern
- observe
- descry
- distinguish
- set eyes on
- look (at)
- mind
- get a load of
- lay eyes on
- pick out
- glimpse
- identify
- mark
- scan
- heed
- consider
- inspect
- scrutinize
- study
- make out
- survey
- examine
- attend (to)
- pick up
- glance (at)
- peer (at)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ignore
- disregard
- miss
- pass over
- neglect
- overlook
- overpass
3
as in to debate
to give serious and careful thought to we're eyeing the possibility of buying property there Synonyms & Similar Words
- debate
- contemplate
- question
- ponder
- entertain
- consider
- study
- weigh
- deliberate
- review
- look at
- chew over
- analyze
- explore
- chew on
- perpend
- cogitate
- ruminate
- turn
- meditate
- kick around
- revolve
- beat one's brains out (about)
- reason
- mull (over)
- pore (over)
- cudgel one's brains (about)
- muse (upon)
- think (about or over)
- wrestle (with)
- digest
- reminisce
- fixate (on or upon)
- believe
- reflect (on or upon)
- conceive
- absorb
- speculate (about)
- opine
- dwell (on or upon)
- conclude
- assimilate
- brood (about or over)
- fret (about or over)
- obsess (about or over)
- second-guess
- drink (in)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- slight
- ignore
- disregard
- overlook
- dismiss
- pooh
- reject
- pooh-pooh