Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

eye up

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 5.00 in modern English

Syllables: eye- up
IPA

10

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To examine (something or someone) closely (often, something or someone coveted).

Colloquial; Transitive verb

verb

To examine casually by eye, with little or no measuring or testing.

Colloquial

Example Sentences

"Near-synonyms: give someone the eye, take a look (intransitive)"
"That creep in the corner was eyeing me up."
"The dog was eyeing up my steak."
"Llanelli: An empty piece of land south of the station is being eyed up by Carmarthenshire Council, to create a better interchange for buses and taxis, and to build a car park."
"Sitting in one of the booths (with table and comfy seats) in the open plan ground floor reception, Network Rail Business Change Manager Sarah Newman explains how NR had been eyeing up the building in late 2024, with work starting on site in August 2025."
"Hey, while you're there, take a look at their furnace. You don't have to inspect it — just eye it up and tell me whether it's decrepit or not."

Usage

Inflected Forms

eyes up (present, singular) eyeing up (participle, present) eying up (participle, present) eyed up (participle, past) eyed up (past)

Frequently Paired Words

feel up

Synonyms

eyeball give someone the eye take a look

Questions

What does eye up mean?: To examine (something or someone) closely (often, something or someone coveted).

How to pronounce eye up

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “eye up”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “eye up”.
Repeat and practice — Say “eye up” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.