phrasal verb / idiom · neutral
look someone in the eye
UK/lʊk ˈsʌmwən ɪn ði aɪ/US/lʊk ˈsʌmwʌn ɪn ði aɪ/look some·one in the EYE
to look directly into someone's eyes, often to show honesty, confidence, or confrontation
Examples
“When he admitted the mistake, he looked me in the eye.”
“You should look the interviewer in the eye to show confidence.”
“She couldn't even look him in the eye after lying to him.”
Band 8 sentence
“In interviews, candidates who can look the panel in the eye while answering tend to come across as more credible and composed.”
Collocations
- look someone in the eye / eyes
- not be able to look someone in the eye
Word family
Common mistakes
He looked me to the eye.→He looked me in the eye.
She couldn't look to him in the eye.→She couldn't look him in the eye.
Say it for a higher band
5look at someone→6maintain eye contact→7+look someone in the eye
Synonyms
meet someone's gaze
Easily confused
avoid eye contact
“He avoided eye contact throughout the conversation.”
Related words
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