before your eyes

before (one's) eyes

Right in front of one or while one is watching. Someone smashed into my parked car right before my eyes. Each day, before our eyes, we see signs of poverty and need.See also: before, eye

before your eyes

or

before your very eyes

COMMON If something surprising happens before your eyes or before your very eyes, it happens directly in front of you. With a loud crack, the stone statue collapsed before my eyes and crumbled to pieces. Marceline saw him falling apart before her very eyes and realized that something had to be done. Note: You can also say that something happens in front of your eyes. She saw her car driven off by two complete strangers in front of her eyes.See also: before, eye

before your (very) ˈeyes

right in front of you, where you can see something very clearly: There, before my very eyes, he took the plane ticket and ripped it into tiny pieces.See also: before, eye