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eye contact

eye contact

53 2.5
Looking directly into another person's eyes to show attention or feeling
  • noun
  • /aɪ ˈkɒntækt/
translation icon : contacto visual
  • The dance requires that you maintain eye contact with him almost constantly.
  • make eye contact
  • maintain eye contact
  • avoid eye contact

Whether it's a smile, longer eye contact, you know, saying hi.

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Examples

  • In an interview, maintaining eye contact helps convey confidence and engagement.

  • Instead, make eye contact when you're talking to her.

  • I have a hard time with eye contact by nature.

  • Whether it's a smile, longer eye contact, you know, saying hi.

  • If you have a girl making eye contact with you, just know this.

  • Try to make it so that they break eye contact first before you.

  • You should make eye contact with them.

  • Just make eye contact with me.

  • As he spoke, he tried to maintain as much eye contact as he could with the judges.

    Academic text (2009)
  • High status people give eye contact and look at you when they're listening to you.

Synonyms

gaze
vseye contact
147 2.1

A long steady look at someone or something

is a direct brief look meant to communicate with another person

How Direct

stare
108 1.0
eye contact
53 2.5
gaze
147 2.1
look
1.0

Surface Forms

eye contact singular
eye contacts plural

Morphology

eye + contact

The meaning 'the act of looking directly into another person's eyes to communicate' is directly derivable from combining 'eye' (vision organ) with 'contact' (being in touch/communication) — i.e., contact made via the eyes. This is a regular, compositional noun–noun phrase found across many languages (e.g. Spanish 'contacto visual', French 'contact visuel'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand it.

Etymology

Eye contact comes from the simple picture of one person's eye meeting another person's eye, a contact or meeting between eyes. That's why eye contact means 'looking directly into another person's eyes to communicate without words' and can show interest or confidence.