Meanings
present singular third person keeps an eye on · participle present keeping an eye on · participle past kept an eye on · past kept an eye on
- idiomaticTo watch and pay attention to, in case of misbehaviour or mishap.
I must keep an eye on this sauce in case it curdles.
2 more examples
ALL's well at your mother's, and I keep an eye on her.
1920, Cicero, translated by Evelyn Shirley Shuckburgh, The Letters of Cicero: The Whole Extant Correspondence in Chronological Order, volume 1 (hardcover), London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd., page 5"[...] We are making sure that a firm eye is kept on this."
2022 November 16, Philip Haigh, “Network News: TPE under fire over "unacceptable" cancellations”, in RAIL, number 970, page 7
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo watch and pay attention to, in case of misbehaviour or mishap.
More synonyms by meaning
verbfollow with the eyes or the mind
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 關照 /关照
- 關照 /关照 (guānzhào)to watch and pay attention to
Danish holde øje med
- holde øje medto watch and pay attention to
Dutch in de gaten houden
- in de gaten houdento watch and pay attention to
Finnish pitää silmällä
- pitää silmälläto watch and pay attention to
French guetter, épier
- guetterto watch and pay attention to
- épierto watch and pay attention to
- avoir à l’œilto watch and pay attention to
- ne pas quitter des yeuxto watch and pay attention to
German im Auge behalten, aufpassen
- im Auge behaltento watch and pay attention to
- aufpassento watch and pay attention to
Hungarian szemmel tart
- szemmel tartto watch and pay attention to
Icelandic passa upp á, hafa auga á
- passa upp áto watch and pay attention to
- hafa auga áto watch and pay attention to
Italian tenere d'occhio
- tenere d'occhioto watch and pay attention to
Japanese 目をつけている
- 目をつけている (me o tsukete iru)to watch and pay attention to
Portuguese ficar de olho
- ficar de olhoto watch and pay attention to
Russian присма́тривать, присмотре́ть
- присма́тривать (prismátrivatʹ)to watch and pay attention to
- присмотре́ть (prismotrétʹ)to watch and pay attention to
- пригля́дывать (prigljádyvatʹ)to watch and pay attention to
- пригляде́ть (prigljadétʹ)to watch and pay attention to
- держать глаз на (deržatʹ glaz na)to watch and pay attention to
- глаз не спуска́ть (glaz ne spuskátʹ)to watch and pay attention to
- следи́ть (sledítʹ)to watch and pay attention to
Spanish vigilar, estar pendiente de
- vigilarto watch and pay attention to
- estar pendiente deto watch and pay attention to
- custodiarto watch and pay attention to
Swedish hålla ett öga på, hålla koll på
- hålla ett öga påto watch and pay attention to
- hålla koll påto watch and pay attention to
- se efterto watch and pay attention to
Vietnamese theo dõi, dõi theo
- theo dõito watch and pay attention to
- dõi theoto watch and pay attention to
Cite this entry
keep an eye on. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20an%20eye%20on
“keep an eye on.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20an%20eye%20on. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “keep an eye on,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20an%20eye%20on.
Source: keep an eye on on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.