make eyes at

Idioms and Phrases

Ogle, flirt with, as in To her sister's disgust, she was always making eyes at the boys . Although slightly different versions, such as throw the eye at , are much older, this precise locution was first recorded in William Makepeace Thackeray's Henry Esmond (1852): “She used to make eyes at the Duke of Marlborough.” See also give someone the once-over .

Example Sentences

Ursula Nevins, who had once been an actress but who was now far more famous as the proprietor of a wellness brand called Pvrity, which focused on promoting ethical and sustainable recipes for what she called the mind-body connection, would whip out clove cigarettes and start chain-smoking the way Harry and I used to freshman year, and make eyes at Ray Ballantine, whose wife, Janine—she headed a chain of nonprofits—would in turn lean her head on the shoulder of Ralph Rothemere, who was Harry’s latest find.

From Slate

Girls swoon over rock stars, and boys make eyes at movie stars and Playboy magazines.

From Washington Post

At their first family dinner together, Louis and Emily make eyes at each other, signaling that they are, pardon the pun, smitten kittens.

From Salon

A dating coach has claimed there’s a whopping twelve ways to flirt — even despite the common PPE — revealing how to make eyes at your special someone.

From Fox News

Another two make eyes at each other across the room.

From Slate

Related Words

• eyeball
• gawk