keep your eyes peeled

Meaning

This casual idiom means to watch very carefully for something or someone. It is frequently used while traveling to remind someone to look out for landmarks, road signs, or specific locations while on the move.

Examples

• Keep your eyes peeled for the exit sign; it's easy to miss in this heavy rain.

  Keep your eyes peeled for the exit sign; it's easy to miss in this heavy rain.

• We need to find a gas station soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

  We need to find a gas station soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

• If you keep your eyes peeled, you might spot some wild deer near the edge of the forest.

  If you keep your eyes peeled, you might spot some wild deer near the edge of the forest.

• I'm not sure which terminal it is, so keep your eyes peeled for any airport signs.

  I'm not sure which terminal it is, so keep your eyes peeled for any airport signs.

• Keep your eyes peeled for a blue house on the left; that's where our Airbnb is.

  Keep your eyes peeled for a blue house on the left; that's where our Airbnb is.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Keep your eyes peeling for the bus.

  ✓ Keep your eyes peeled for the bus.

  The idiom always uses the past participle 'peeled', never the present participle 'peeling'.

• ✗ Keep your peeled eyes for the hotel.

  ✓ Keep your eyes peeled for the hotel.

  The adjective 'peeled' must go after 'eyes' in this fixed idiomatic structure.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Make sure you ___ for the street sign so we don't get lost.

  💡 Watch carefully.

  Show answer

  keep your eyes peeled

• We're looking for a small cafe, so please ___.

  💡 Pay close attention.

  Show answer

  keep your eyes peeled