eye roll

noun

variants or less commonly eye-roll

ˈī-ˌrōl 

plural eye rolls also eye-rolls

: an upward turning of the eyes especially as an expression of annoyance, exasperation, disbelief, etc. : an instance of rolling the eyes

Historically, anyone who dares to give pro athletes mental advice—be they M.D.s, psychologists or shamans—often gets the eye roll or the pat on the back.

—Jaimal Yogis

Contempt, one of the emotions Gottman watches for at the Love Lab, is detectable through the … buccinator, which pulls the lip corners to the side and creates a distinctly uncute dimple; it's often combined with an upward eye roll.

—Casey Greenfield

His stories always took their time, his daughter said, and usually some winding turns, too. His family's eye-rolls only made him go slower.

—Peter Schworm

"Mom!" She gave me the parents-are-weird eye-roll. The truth is, though, she's proud of me.

—Katha Pollitt

Examples of eye roll in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In walks Plaza and Shannon, scowling at random members of the Salty Club — who return the favor with an eye roll. —Rachel Raposas, People.com, 7 Feb. 2025

Sure, Costner’s sincerity and mythical retelling of a camping trip may inspire some eye rolls. —Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 6 Feb. 2025

And while some critics insisted that the 25-year-old singer should not be mimicking such acts in front of her age-diverse crowd – eye roll – her fans couldn’t get enough. —Meghan Mahar, Billboard, 23 Dec. 2024

Those two references, of course to the surprise endings of Citizen Kane and The Sixth Sense (sorry if that just ruined them for you), were meant as a jaded eye roll to a tiring complaint. —Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for eye roll

• amphibole
• asystole
• buttonhole
• casserole
• centriole
• decontrol
• glycerol
• metropole
• monopole
• multipole
• omeprazole
• oriole