cow eyes

noun

A wide-eyed expression meant to discreetly signal otherwise unstated romantic attraction to the one it is directed at.

Similar
sheep's eyethe equivalent in British English
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouncow eyes pl (plural only)
  1. USinformalpluralplural onlyA wide-eyed expression meant to discreetly signal otherwise unstated romantic attraction to the one it is directed at.

    "What makes you think I am worried about Lucas?" "All you ever do is make cow eyes at him ..."

    2013, Caroline B. Cooney, An April Love Story, Open Road Media, page 122
    2 more examples

    "... And you were making cow eyes at him, snotty attitude and all." "I was not making cow eyes at him," Despreaux insisted firmly. "Call it what you want, girl," the older woman said with a grin. "I call it cow eyes."

    2001, David Weber, John Ringo, March Upcountry, Baen Books, page 272

    "Cow eyes?" Brett's gaze shot to Suzanne. "You were making cow eyes at me?" Not that he knew what cow eyes were, but from the fierceness of Mama Jessup's expression and the way Suzanne blushed, cow eyes definitely counted as the non-contact version of a butt squeeze.

    2011, Ruth Jean Dale, Kimberly Raye, One in a Million & Love, Texas Stlye, Harlequin, page 173

    Synonyms: sheep's eye, the equivalent in British English

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA wide-eyed expression meant to discreetly signal otherwise unstated romantic attraction to the one it is directed at.

Similar
sheep's eyethe equivalent in British English
Also see
calf eyessheep's eye

Origin

From the appearance of a cow's eyes.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish kaihoisa katse
  • kaihoisa katsea secretive, pining look, or humble doting glance
Hindi सजल आँखें
  • सजल आँखें (sajal ā̃khẽ)a secretive, pining look, or humble doting glance
Italian occhi vitulini
  • occhi vitulinia secretive, pining look, or humble doting glance
Polish pożądliwe spojrzenie
  • pożądliwe spojrzeniea secretive, pining look, or humble doting glance
Russian влюблённый взор
  • влюблённый взор (vljubljónnyj vzor)a secretive, pining look, or humble doting glance
Cite this entry
APA

cow eyes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cow%20eyes

MLA

“cow eyes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cow%20eyes. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cow eyes,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cow%20eyes.

Source: cow eyes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.