eyelid

American  

[ahy-lid] / ˈaɪˌlɪd /

noun

1. the movable lid of skin that serves to cover and uncover the eyeball.

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eyelid British  

/ ˈaɪˌlɪd /

noun

1. either of the two muscular folds of skin that can be moved to cover the exposed portion of the eyeball

2. Also called: clamshell.  aeronautics a set of movable parts at the rear of a jet engine that redirect the exhaust flow to assist braking during landing

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Etymology

Origin of eyelid

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at eye, lid

Explanation

Your eyelid is the piece of skin that closes over your eyeball when you blink. The purpose of your eyelids is to protect your eye (and, of course, to be decorated with eye shadow). When you close your eyes to go to sleep, you're actually closing your eyelids — and they are making it easier for you to sleep by blocking any light from your eyes. Humans actually have upper and lower eyelids that keep dust, sweat, and other substances out of their eyes, and also spread moisture across the entire eye with each blink.

Example Sentences

Stay up really late so you wake up with the kind of high upper eyelid exposure that gives you Prey Eyes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Towns, meanwhile, suffered a nasty cut on his right eyelid when a drive to the rim ended in a clash of heads with Denver's Spencer Jones in the final minute of the first quarter.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

“A lot of patients are on GLP-1s nowadays and when the midface drops there’s less support for the lower eyelid too and bags become more obvious,” Schwarcz explained.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026

Increasingly, new cars are built to detect deviations from the lane or physiological markers of drowsiness—such as eyelid drooping—then alert drivers that it’s time for them to get off the road.

From Slate • Nov. 26, 2025

Four or five virus particles on the eyelid would probably do it.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston