have an eye for
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Be able to recognize and make good judgment about something.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
Kylie has always had an eye for composition and colour, and is particularly gifted in the art of watercolour.
Beardsley and David Platt would provide a very mobile midfield that also has an eye for goals.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “have an eye for” mean?
Be able to recognize and make good judgment about something.
Is “have an eye for” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.