Eyeball Meaning
/ˈaɪ.bɔːl/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe ball of the eye.
nounAn instance of eyeballing something.
Sentence Examples
"If it's a light workout, OK." "Right, so will we allow crotch-kicking and eyeball crushing?"
Is it safe to eat a pig's eyeball?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor gently examined her right ____ with a bright, focused light.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor carefully examined the patient's ____ to check for any signs of injury or disease.
Word Origin & History
From eye + ball. Compare Middle English balle off the eye, balle of þe eyȝe (“eyeball”, literally “ball of the eye”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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:
"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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor gently examined her right ____ with a bright, focused light.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor carefully examined the patient's ____ to check for any signs of injury or disease.