Meaning & Origin

“Keep an eye on” means to observe closely — to monitor a person, object, or metric so you can catch issues early. The image is literal: keeping your eyes fixed on something to ensure it stays safe or on track.

Pronunciation Guide

• keep — long “ee,” like “see.”
• an — often reduced to “uhn.”
• eye — long “i,” like “eye.”
• on — sounds like “awn/on.”
• Natural rhythm: KEEP an EYE on.

Usage & Sentence Examples

Use it for safety, supervision, or tracking metrics.

• Can you keep an eye on the dashboard during the deploy?
• Keep an eye on the oven so the cookies don’t burn.
• Investors are keeping an eye on our retention numbers.
• I’ll keep an eye on your bag while you pay.
• We’re keeping an eye on competitors’ releases this quarter.
• The doctor asked me to keep an eye on my blood pressure.

Synonyms

monitor · watch closely · keep tabs on · supervise · look after · track