shut eyes to


noun, plural eyes (Archaic) eyen or eyne.
sight; vision: a sharp eye.
the power of seeing; appreciative or discriminating visual perception: the eye of an artist.
a manner or way of looking at a thing; estimation; opinion: in the eyes of the law.
a center of light, intelligence, influence, etc.
the bud of a potato, Jerusalem artichoke, etc.
the central spot of a target; bull's-eye.
the hole in a needle.
the loop into which a hook is inserted.
a hole formed during the maturation of cheese, especially Emmenthaler or Gruyère.
a loop worked at the end of a rope.
eyes, Nautical. the extreme forward part of the upper deck at the bow of a vessel.
Nautical. the precise direction from which a wind is blowing.
verb (used with object), eyed, eying or eyeing.
to fix the eyes upon; view: to eye the wonders of nature.
to make an eye in: to eye a needle.
verb (used without object), eyed, eying or eyeing.
Obsolete. to appear to the eye.
be all eyes, to give all one's attention to something; look intently.
give (someone) the eye, Informal. to look fixedly at (another person), especially with obvious admiration; ogle: She ignored the men who were giving her the eye.
have an eye for, to have the ability to appreciate distinctions in; be discerning or perceptive about: She has an eye for antique furniture.
have eyes only for,
to see, or view, or desire to see only.
Also, only have eyes for.
in a pig's eye, Slang. absolutely not; never: In a pig's eye I will!
keep one's eye on the ball, to remain attentive; be especially alert.
keep one's eyes open, to be especially alert or observant.
lay/clap/set eyes on, Informal. to catch sight of; see: They had never laid eyes on such a big car before.
make eyes at, to gaze flirtatiously or amorously at.
my eye!, Informal. (a mild exclamation of contradiction or surprise): He says he wasn't told about this? My eye!
pick the eyes out, Australia and New Zealand. to select the best parts or items.
run one's eye over, to glance briefly at; examine hastily.
see eye to eye, to have exactly the same opinion; agree: They have never been able to see eye to eye on politics.
shut one's eyes to, to refuse to see or consider; disregard: We can no longer shut our eyes to the gravity of the situation.
sight for sore eyes, a welcome sight; a pleasant surprise: After our many days in the desert, the wretched village was a sight for sore eyes.

before 900; Middle English eie, ie, Old English ēge, variant of ēage; cognate with German Auge; akin to Latin oculus, Greek ṓps, Sanskrit akṣi

eyeable, adjective
eyelike, adjective
eyer, noun
undereye, noun, verb (used with object), undereyed, undereying or undereyeing.
uneyeable, adjective

aye, eye, I. Unabridged
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World English Dictionary
eye1 (aɪ)
2.  (often plural) the ability to see; sense of vision: weak eyes
3.  the visible external part of an eye, often including the area around it: heavy-lidded eyes; piercing eyes
4.  a look, glance, expression, or gaze: a stern eye
5.  a sexually inviting or provocative look (esp in the phrases give (someone) the (glad) eye, make eyes at)
6.  attention or observation (often in the phrases catch someone's eye, keep an eye on, cast an eye over)
7.  ability to recognize, judge, or appreciate: an eye for antiques
8.  (often plural) opinion, judgment, point of view, or authority: in the eyes of the law
10.  a small loop or hole, as at one end of a needle
12.  See photocell
13.  informal See private eye
14.  informal all eyes acutely vigilant or observant: the children were all eyes
15.  informal my eye, all my eye rubbish; nonsense
16.  an eye for an eye retributive or vengeful justice; retaliation
17.  (Caribbean) cut one's eye after someone, cut one's eye at someone, cut one's eye on someone to look rudely at a person and then turn one's face away sharply while closing one's eyes: a gesture of contempt
18.  (NZ) eyes out with every possible effort: he went at the job eyes out
19.  chiefly sport get one's eye in to become accustomed to the conditions, light, etc, with a consequent improvement in one's performance
20.  half an eye
 a.  a modicum of perceptiveness: anyone with half an eye can see she's in love
 b.  continuing unobtrusive observation or awareness: the dog had half an eye on the sheep
21.  have eyes for to be interested in: she has eyes only for him
22.  in one's mind's eye pictured within the mind; imagined or remembered vividly
23.  in the public eye exposed to public curiosity or publicity
24.  keep an eye open, keep an eye out to watch with special attention (for)
25.  keep one's eyes peeled, keep one's eyes skinned to watch vigilantly (for)
26.  look someone in the eye to look at someone openly and without shame or embarrassment
27.  old-fashioned make eyes, make sheep's eyes to ogle amorously
28.  more than meets the eye hidden motives, meaning, or facts
29.  (Austral), (NZ) pick the eyes out to select the best parts or pieces (of)
30.  see eye to eye to agree (with)
31.  (usually used with a negative) set eyes on, lay eyes on, clap eyes on to see: she had never laid eyes on him before
32.  nautical the eye of the wind the direction from which the wind is blowing
33.  turn a blind eye to, close one's eyes to to pretend not to notice or ignore deliberately
34.  up to one's eyes extremely busy (with)
35.  with a … eye in a … manner: he regards our success with a jealous eye
36.  (preposition) with an eye to, having an eye to
 a.  regarding; with reference to: with an eye to one's own interests
 b.  with the intention or purpose of: with an eye to reaching agreement
37.  with one's eyes open in the full knowledge of all relevant facts
38.  with one's eyes shut
 a.  with great ease, esp as a result of thorough familiarity: I could drive home with my eyes shut
 b.  without being aware of all the facts
vb , eyes, eyeing, eying, eyed
39.  to look at carefully or warily
40.  Also: eye up to look at in a manner indicating sexual interest; ogle
Related: ocular, oculate, ophthalmic, optic
[Old English ēage; related to Old Norse auga, Old High German ouga, Sanskrit aksi]

eye2 (aɪ)
another word for nye

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

O.E. ege (Mercian), eage (W. Saxon), from P.Gmc. *augon, from PIE *oqw- "to see" (cf. Skt. akshi "the eye, the number two," Gk. opsis "a sight," Goth. augo, O.C.S. oko, Lith. akis, L. oculus, Armenian aku). Until late 14c. the plural was in -an, hence modern dial. plural een, ene. The verb is first recorded
1560s. Related: Eyed; eyeing. The eye of a needle was in O.E.; to see eye to eye is from Isa. lii.8. Eye contact attested by 1965. Eye-opener "anything that informs and enlightens" is from 1863. Have an eye on "keep under supervision" is attested from early 15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

eye (ī)

  1. An organ of vision or of light sensitivity.



  4. The pigmented iris of this organ.

  5. The faculty of seeing; vision.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
eye  [%PREMIUM_LINK%]     (ī)  Pronunciation Key 

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  1. Anatomy The vertebrate organ of sight, composed of a pair of fluid-filled spherical structures that occupy the orbits of the skull. Incoming light is refracted by the cornea of the eye and transmitted through the pupil to the lens, which focuses the image onto the retina.

  2. Zoology An organ in invertebrates that is sensitive to light. See more at compound eye, eyespot.

  3. Botany A bud on a tuber, such as a potato.

  4. Meteorology The relatively calm area at the center of a hurricane or similar storm. See more at hurricane.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

eye definition


The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Bible Dictionary

Eye definition


Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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