Dictionary

eyeball en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈaɪ.bɔːl/ (UK)
• (US) audio
• /ˈaɪ.bɑl/ (cot-caught-merger)
• /ˈaɪ.bɔl/ (US)

Etymology

From eye + ball. Compare Middle English balle off the eye, balle of þe eyȝe (“eyeball”, literally “ball of the eye”).

Meanings

1. The ball of the eye.
   • Goe make thy ſelfe like a Nymph o' th' Sea. Be ſubiect to no ſight but thine, and mine: inuisible To euery eye-ball elſe: goe take this ſhape, And hither come in't: goe: hence With diligence. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 4, column 2:
   • You'll change your mind about not bothering with safety glasses once you've injured your eyeball. That's called closing the barn door after the horse gets out.
   • Near-synonym: eye
   • Suddenly his eyeballs are glazed with tears. “Mom, can you come get me,” he pleads. “Yeah, ’cause I freaking hate it here.[…]” 2021 April 27, Amanda Hess, “Inject the Vaccine Fan Fiction Directly Into My Veins”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 06 May 2021:
2. An instance of eyeballing something.
   • Give this report an eyeball, will you please?
3. (informal) Surveillance.
   • Intelligence work is necessarily limited in scope by the capacity of national surveillance systems. […] Ultimately, it is only when you have an 'eyeball' or the electronic equivalent on a suspect that you have a reasonable chance of a preventive intervention. 2016, Marie Breen-Smyth, The Ashgate Research Companion to Political Violence, page 384:
4. (in-plural) A readership or viewership.
   • When The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted at the same time as House of the Dragon, much noise was made about which show attracted more eyeballs. 2022 October 17, Stuart Heritage, “Now it’s over, let’s come out and say it: The Rings of Power was a stinker”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 30 Mar 2023:
   • We need compelling content for the new Web site so we can attract more eyeballs.
5. (qualifier:CB radio, slang) A face-to-face meeting.
   • We had an eyeball last year.
6. (Caribbean) A favourite or pet; the apple of someone's eye.

Forms

Coordinates

examination · once-over · look-see

Deriveds

up to one's eyeballs · given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow · hairy eyeball · mark 1 eyeball · my eyeball · sailor's eyeball · eyeball queen · eyeball to eyeball

Synonyms

eye-apple · globe · globus oculi · eyeglobe · bulbus oculi · eye · globus · bulbus

Translations (95)

nrf balle dé l'yi (ball of the eye) · sv ögonglob (ball of the eye) · yi אויגאַפּל (ball of the eye) · ro glob ocular (ball of the eye) · gv clagh-hooilley (ball of the eye) · yi שוואַרצאַפּל (ball of the eye) · vo logaglöp (ball of the eye) · cy pelen y llygad (ball of the eye) · is augnknöttur (ball of the eye) · bo མིག་རིལ (ball of the eye) · sh očna jabučica (ball of the eye) · fo eygnaknøttur (ball of the eye) · yi שוואַרצל (ball of the eye) · za ngveihda (ball of the eye) · yo ọmọ-ojú (ball of the eye) · ko 눈깔 (ball of the eye) · tr göz yuvan (ball of the eye) · ko 안구 (ball of the eye) · izh silmämuna (ball of the eye) · te కనుగుడ్డు (ball of the eye) · vi nhãn cầu (ball of the eye) · tr göz küresi (ball of the eye) · ga meall súile (ball of the eye) · jje 눈깔이 (ball of the eye) · tl bilumata (ball of the eye) · ne आँखाको गेडी (ball of the eye) · gd clach na sùla (ball of the eye) · cmn 眼珠 (ball of the eye) · tl buliga (ball of the eye) · tr göz yuvarı (ball of the eye) · ang ēaġæppel (ball of the eye) · sah харах мөкүнүгэ (ball of the eye) · cy cannwyll llygad (ball of the eye) · ja 目玉 (ball of the eye) · nci īxtelolohtli (ball of the eye) · sk očná buľva (ball of the eye) · kw aval lagas (ball of the eye) · sl zrklo (ball of the eye) · da øjeæble (ball of the eye) · el βολβός του ματιού (ball of the eye) · iso ọmọẹrụ (ball of the eye) · et silmamuna (ball of the eye) · cmn 眼球 (ball of the eye) · yo ẹyinjú (ball of the eye) · cmn 睛球 (ball of the eye) · mr नेत्रगोलक (ball of the eye) · ht boul je (ball of the eye) · el βολβός του οφθαλμού (ball of the eye) · nb øyeeple (ball of the eye) · af oogappel (ball of the eye) · th ลูกตา (ball of the eye) · yi קליין מענטשעלע (ball of the eye) · jje 눈께알이 (ball of the eye) · fi silmämuna (ball of the eye) · ru глазно́е я́блоко (ball of the eye) · nl oogappel (ball of the eye) · yi ויגן־אַפּל (ball of the eye) · mk о́чно ја́болко (ball of the eye) · yi אויגעפּל (ball of the eye) · ka თვალის კაკალი (ball of the eye) · fo eygnasteinur (ball of the eye) · uk о́чне я́блуко (ball of the eye) · vot silmemuna (ball of the eye) · is auga (ball of the eye) · ar مُقْلَة اَلْعَيْن (ball of the eye) · yi פּופּילע (ball of the eye) · sh очна јабучица (ball of the eye) · it bulbo oculare (ball of the eye) · nn augeeple (ball of the eye) · lv acs ābols (ball of the eye) · cs oční bulva (ball of the eye) · vi cầu mắt (ball of the eye) · ca globus ocular (ball of the eye) · yi אויגנאַפּל (ball of the eye) · hu szemgolyó (ball of the eye) · pt globo ocular (ball of the eye) · yi קליין־מענטשעלע (ball of the eye) · km គ្រាប់ភ្នែក (ball of the eye) · grc γλήνη (ball of the eye) · hy ակնախնձոր (ball of the eye) · es globo ocular (ball of the eye) · de Augapfel (ball of the eye) · ko 눈알 (ball of the eye) · unm pinkchòn (ball of the eye) · he גַּלְגַּל עַיִן (ball of the eye) · ja 眼球 (ball of the eye) · yi אַפּל (ball of the eye) · be во́чны я́блык (ball of the eye) · ro globul ochiului (ball of the eye) · la bulbus oculi (ball of the eye) · yi אויגנשוואַרצל (ball of the eye) · eo okulglobo (ball of the eye) · pl gałka oczna (ball of the eye) · fr globe oculaire (ball of the eye) · bg о́чна я́бълка (ball of the eye)

wikidata: Q17486816

eyeball en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈaɪ.bɔːl/ (UK)
• (US) audio
• /ˈaɪ.bɑl/ (cot-caught-merger)
• /ˈaɪ.bɔl/ (US)

Etymology

From eye + ball. Compare Middle English balle off the eye, balle of þe eyȝe (“eyeball”, literally “ball of the eye”).

Meanings

1. (informal, transitive) To gauge, estimate or judge by eye, rather than measuring precisely; to look or glance at.
   • A good cook can often just eyeball the correct quantities of ingredients.
   • Each geometric construction must be exact; eyeballing it and getting close does not count.
2. (informal, transitive) To stare at intently.
   • Are you eyeballing my girl?
3. (intransitive) To roll one's eyes.
   • Guardiola strode on to the pitch at half-time to remonstrate with the Spanish referee, Antonio Mateu Lahoz, but went too far with his eyeballing and matador-like hand movements. He was “upstairs”, in the Colin Bell stand, to watch Liverpool’s second-half turnaround and a dismal seven days for City take another turn for the worse. 2018 April 10, Daniel Taylor, “Liverpool go through after Mohamed Salah stops Manchester City fightback”, in The Guardian (London), archived from the original on 16 Jul 2019:

Forms

Deriveds

eyeballer

Relateds

click-through · bums in seats

Synonyms

eye up · eye up

Translations (15)

nb ta på øyemål (to judge by eye) · pl oceniać na oko (to judge by eye) · fr évaluer au pif (to judge by eye) · es tantear a ojímetro (to judge by eye) · de nach Augenmaß hinzufügen (to judge by eye) · pl ocenić na oko (to judge by eye) · es calcular a ojo (to judge by eye) · fr évaluer à vue de nez (to judge by eye) · el κοζάρω (to judge by eye) · de nach Augenmaß abschätzen (to judge by eye) · fr faire à la louche (to judge by eye) · de nach Augenmaß abmessen (to judge by eye) · fi arvioida silmämääräisesti (to judge by eye) · el κόβω με το βλέμμα (to judge by eye) · de nach Augenmaß hinzugeben (to judge by eye)