open someone's eyes

verb

To make someone aware of something they did not know or fully understand before; to enlighten someone.

“Visiting Africa opened my eyes to what it is like living without clean water.”

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Meanings

verbopen someone's eyes (third-person singular simple present opens someone's eyes, present participle opening someone's eyes, simple past and past participle opened someone's eyes)

present singular third person opens someone's eyes · participle present opening someone's eyes · participle past opened someone's eyes · past opened someone's eyes

  1. idiomaticTo make someone aware of something they did not know or fully understand before; to enlighten someone.

    Visiting Africa opened my eyes to what it is like living without clean water.

    1 more example

    I have to admit that Merseyside was the one area of the railway I had little experience of until this year, but two visits […] have opened my eyes to what is an incredibly well-run network, with such friendly staff and locals.

    2023 July 26, Pip Dunn, “Merseyrail '777s' are OK for commuters”, in RAIL, number 988, page 61
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: open someone's eyes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.