noun🔥 Gen-Z slang
side eye
a suspicious, judgmental glance
What it means
A sideways glance that silently signals suspicion, disapproval, or judgment. Giving someone the side eye is a wordless way to express skepticism or that you're not buying what they're saying.
Examples
- I gave him the side eye when he said he'd pay me back.
- Major side eye to whoever ate my leftovers.
- She caught my side eye after that excuse, lol.
- The whole table gave him side eye for that take.
Where it comes from
Rooted in AAVE and Black expressive culture, it spread mainstream through reaction GIFs and emojis in the 2010s and stayed a core social-media staple.
Related slang
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