Standard Lemma guide

eyeball

noun · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈaɪ.bɔːl/
  • US: /ˈaɪ.bɔl/
  • cot-caught-merger: /ˈaɪ.bɑl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AY1 B AO2 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The ball of the eye.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonym: eye
  • 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.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: globe, globus, globus oculi, eyeglobe, bulbus oculi, bulbus, eye

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An instance of eyeballing something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Give this report an eyeball, will you please?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Surveillance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A readership or viewership.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: in-plural

Topics: business, marketing

Examples

  • We need compelling content for the new Web site so we can attract more eyeballs.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A face-to-face meeting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

Qualifier: CB radio

Examples

  • We had an eyeball last year.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A favourite or pet; the apple of someone's eye.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Caribbean

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To gauge, estimate or judge by eye, rather than measuring precisely; to look or glance at.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, transitive

Examples

  • 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.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: eye up

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To stare at intently.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, transitive

Examples

  • Are you eyeballing my girl?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: eye up

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To roll one's eyes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

the ball-shaped capsule containing the vertebrate eye

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: orb

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: capsule

11

verb

Meaning 11

look at

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: eye

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: look

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

109 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: oogappel — ball of the eye
  • Arabic: مُقْلَة اَلْعَيْن (muqlat al-ʕayn) — ball of the eye
  • Armenian: ակնախնձոր (aknaxnjor) — ball of the eye
  • Belarusian: во́чны я́блык (vóčny jáblyk) — ball of the eye
  • Bulgarian: о́чна я́бълка (óčna jábǎlka) — ball of the eye
  • Catalan: globus ocular — ball of the eye
  • Chinese Mandarin: 眼球 (yǎnqiú) — ball of the eye
  • Chinese Mandarin: 睛球 (jīngqiú) — ball of the eye
  • Chinese Mandarin: 眼珠 (yǎnzhū) — ball of the eye
  • Cornish: aval lagas — ball of the eye
  • Czech: oční bulva — ball of the eye
  • Danish: øjeæble — ball of the eye
  • Dutch: oogappel — ball of the eye
  • Esperanto: okulglobo — ball of the eye
  • Estonian: silmamuna — ball of the eye
  • Faroese: eygnasteinur — ball of the eye
  • Faroese: eygnaknøttur — ball of the eye
  • Finnish: silmämuna — ball of the eye
  • French: globe oculaire — ball of the eye
  • Georgian: თვალის კაკალი (tvalis ḳaḳali) — ball of the eye
  • German: Augapfel — ball of the eye
  • Greek: βολβός του ματιού (volvós tou matioú) — ball of the eye
  • Greek: βολβός του οφθαλμού (volvós tou ofthalmoú) — ball of the eye
  • Ancient Greek: γλήνη (glḗnē) — ball of the eye
  • Haitian Creole: boul je — ball of the eye
  • Hebrew: גַּלְגַּל עַיִן (galgál-áyin) — ball of the eye
  • Hungarian: szemgolyó — ball of the eye
  • Icelandic: augnknöttur — ball of the eye
  • Icelandic: auga — ball of the eye
  • Ingrian: silmämuna — ball of the eye
  • Irish: meall súile — ball of the eye
  • Isoko: ọmọẹrụ — ball of the eye
  • Italian: bulbo oculare — ball of the eye
  • Japanese: 眼球 (gankyū) — ball of the eye
  • Japanese: 目玉 (medama) — ball of the eye
  • Jeju: 눈깔이 (nunkkari) — ball of the eye
  • Jeju: 눈께알이 (nunkkeari) — ball of the eye
  • Khmer: គ្រាប់ភ្នែក (kroap pnɛɛk) — ball of the eye
  • Korean: 눈알 (nunal) — ball of the eye
  • Korean: 안구 (an'gu) — ball of the eye
  • Korean: 눈깔 (nunkkal) — ball of the eye
  • Latin: bulbus oculi — ball of the eye
  • Latvian: acs ābols — ball of the eye
  • Macedonian: о́чно ја́болко (óčno jábolko) — ball of the eye
  • Manx: clagh-hooilley — ball of the eye
  • Marathi: नेत्रगोलक (netragolak) — ball of the eye
  • Classical Nahuatl: īxtelolohtli — ball of the eye
  • Nepali: आँखाको गेडी (ā̃khāko geḍī) — ball of the eye
  • Norman: balle dé l'yi — ball of the eye
  • Norwegian Bokmål: øyeeple — ball of the eye
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: augeeple — ball of the eye
  • Old English: ēaġæppel — ball of the eye
  • Polish: gałka oczna — ball of the eye
  • Portuguese: globo ocular — ball of the eye
  • Romanian: glob ocular — ball of the eye
  • Romanian: globul ochiului — ball of the eye
  • Russian: глазно́е я́блоко (glaznóje jábloko) — ball of the eye
  • Scottish Gaelic: clach na sùla — ball of the eye
  • Serbo-Croatian: очна јабучица — ball of the eye
  • Serbo-Croatian: očna jabučica — ball of the eye
  • Slovak: očná buľva — ball of the eye
  • Slovene: zrklo — ball of the eye
  • Spanish: globo ocular — ball of the eye
  • Swedish: ögonglob — ball of the eye
  • Tagalog: buliga — ball of the eye
  • Tagalog: bilumata — ball of the eye
  • Telugu: కనుగుడ్డు (kanuguḍḍu) — ball of the eye
  • Thai: ลูกตา — ball of the eye
  • Tibetan: མིག་རིལ (mig ril) — ball of the eye
  • Turkish: göz yuvan — ball of the eye
  • Turkish: göz küresi — ball of the eye
  • Turkish: göz yuvarı — ball of the eye
  • Ukrainian: о́чне я́блуко (óčne jábluko) — ball of the eye
  • Unami: pinkchòn — ball of the eye
  • Vietnamese: cầu mắt — ball of the eye
  • Vietnamese: nhãn cầu — ball of the eye
  • Volapük: logaglöp — ball of the eye
  • Votic: silmemuna — ball of the eye
  • Welsh: pelen y llygad — ball of the eye
  • Welsh: cannwyll llygad — ball of the eye
  • Yakut: харах мөкүнүгэ (qaraq mökünüge) — ball of the eye
  • Yiddish: אויגעפּל (oygepl) — ball of the eye
  • Yiddish: ויגן־אַפּל (oygn-apl) — ball of the eye
  • Yiddish: אַפּל (apl) — ball of the eye
  • Yiddish: פּופּילע (pupile) — ball of the eye
  • Yiddish: שוואַרצאַפּל (shvartsapl) — ball of the eye
  • Yiddish: אויגנשוואַרצל (oygnshvartsl) — ball of the eye
  • Yiddish: אויגנאַפּל (oygnapl) — ball of the eye
  • Yiddish: אויגאַפּל (oygapl) — ball of the eye
  • Yiddish: שוואַרצל (shvartsl) — ball of the eye
  • Yiddish: קליין מענטשעלע (kleyn mentshele) — ball of the eye
  • Yiddish: קליין־מענטשעלע (kleyn-mentshele) — ball of the eye
  • Yoruba: ẹyinjú — ball of the eye
  • Yoruba: ọmọ-ojú — ball of the eye
  • Zhuang: ngveihda — ball of the eye
  • Finnish: arvioida silmämääräisesti — to judge by eye
  • French: évaluer à vue de nez — to judge by eye
  • French: évaluer au pif — to judge by eye
  • French: faire à la louche — to judge by eye
  • German: nach Augenmaß abschätzen — to judge by eye
  • German: nach Augenmaß abmessen — to judge by eye
  • German: nach Augenmaß hinzugeben — to judge by eye
  • German: nach Augenmaß hinzufügen — to judge by eye
  • Greek: κόβω με το βλέμμα (kóvo me to vlémma) — to judge by eye
  • Greek: κοζάρω (kozáro) — to judge by eye
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ta på øyemål — to judge by eye
  • Polish: oceniać na oko — to judge by eye
  • Polish: ocenić na oko — to judge by eye
  • Spanish: calcular al ojo — to judge by eye