Meanings
- idiomaticwith definite articleThe focus of public attention; the limelight.
The lens of the public eye is focused on the sensational trial.
3 more examples
The chief function of an English journal is that of all other journals the world over: it must keep the public eye fixed admiringly upon certain things, and keep it diligently diverted from certain others.
1892, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter X, in The American Claimant, New York, N.Y.: Charles L[uther] Webster & Co., →OCLC, page 97The president and her advisers seem convinced that by keeping the issue of the Falklands in the public eye she can embarrass London into eventual negotiations.
2013 January 3, Luke Harding, Uki Goni, “Argentina urges UK to hand back Falklands and 'end colonialism'”, in The Guardian, UKShe finally began holding press conferences to keep her daughter’s face in the public eye.
2026 July 29, Nicholas Muhoro, “Amy Billig Vanished While Hitchhiking Through Coconut Grove. Then the Calls Began”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 31 Jul 2026
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Finnish julkisuuden valokeila
- julkisuuden valokeilafocus of public attention
German Öffentlichkeit
- Öffentlichkeitfocus of public attention
Hungarian nyilvánosság, közfigyelem
- nyilvánosságfocus of public attention
- közfigyelemfocus of public attention
- közszereplésfocus of public attention
- közvéleményfocus of public attention
- az érdeklődés homlokterefocus of public attention
Urdu منظرِ عام
- منظرِ عام (manzar-e-'ām)focus of public attention
Cite this entry
public eye. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/public%20eye
“public eye.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/public%20eye. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “public eye,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/public%20eye.
Source: public eye on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.