locking eyes
Holding someone's stare
Locking eyes is making and holding eye contact with someone, typically in a moment charged with meaning—attraction, confrontation, or mutual recognition: They locked eyes across the crowded room.
The phrase suggests intensity and intention, distinct from a casual glance.
- gazeFixed, intent look
- intimacyEmotional closeness between people
- love at first sightImmediate romantic attraction to stranger
- stareProlonged fixed gaze
- staring contestUnblinking visual standoff
holding gaze · connection · vulnerability · attraction · rapport · pupil dilation · empathy · mirroring · trust · dominance · power play · sizing up · soul-searching · nonverbal communication · unspoken words · glance · intensity · sincerity
gaze engagement
locking eyeslooking away
Directing eyes elsewhere
glancing away · avoiding eye contact · averting eyes · turning away · blank stare
lock, locking, locked, locks, locker, locksmith, unlock, unlocked, unlocking