Definition

Verb phrase: - To look at something with great pleasure, enjoyment, or admiration; to take visual delight in something.

Usage

This phrase is used to describe the act of looking at something very beautiful, pleasing, or impressive, and deriving great satisfaction from the sight. It implies a deep, almost indulgent, visual enjoyment.

Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • After the long climb, we reached the summit and feasted our eyes on the breathtaking panoramic view.
  • She walked into the art gallery and feasted her eyes on the magnificent collection of Impressionist paintings.
  • He sat by the window, quietly feasting his eyes on the serene garden.

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is often used in contexts involving nature, art, beauty, or something long-awaited and visually satisfying.
• It can be used reflexively ("feast one's eyes") or with the object of the gaze specified using "on" or "upon."
  • The food critic feasted his eyes upon the exquisitely presented dish before taking a bite.

Variants and Related Words

• Feast (verb): To eat and drink sumptuously; to enjoy something abundantly.
  • They feasted on the local delicacies. (This usage shares the core idea of taking great pleasure, but applies it to consumption rather than sight.)
• Gaze (verb): To look steadily and intently.
  • He gazed at the stars. (This is a more neutral term for looking, without the inherent connotation of pleasure found in "feast one's eyes.")

Synonyms

• Drink in: To absorb or take in through the senses, especially sight, with great pleasure.
  • She stood on the balcony, drinking in the sunset.
• Revel in: To take great pleasure or delight in.
  • He reveled in the sight of his newborn child. (This can apply to non-visual pleasures as well.)

Related Idioms

• A feast for the eyes: Something that is very beautiful to look at.
  • The flower show was a feast for the eyes. (This is a related noun phrase describing the thing being looked at, rather than the act of looking.)

Verb

1. look at with great enjoyment
   • She feasted her eyes on the Tuscan landscape