目めを留とめる

Meanings

1

expression, ichidan verb

take notice of; pay attention to; have one's eye caught by

Used when something catches your eye and you pause to look at it or notice it. Often followed by ～に目を留める.

彼かの女じょはショーウィンドウの赤あかいドレスに目めを留とめた。
Her eye was caught by the red dress in the shop window.
新しん聞

ぶん

の

小ちい

さな

記き

事じ

に

目め

を

留と

める

人ひと

は

少すく

ない

。

Few people take notice of a small article in the newspaper.

Written forms

目めを留とめる
Standard kanji spelling; 留める suggests stopping one's gaze.
目めを止とめる
Variant using 止める; also acceptable but less common than 留める for this expression.
目めをとめる
Kana spelling; used when the kanji nuance is not needed or for clarity.

Kanji

目eye, class, look
留detain, fasten, halt
止stop, halt

Similar words

目めにつく
目につく means something is conspicuous or catches the eye, often unintentionally. 目を留める implies a more deliberate act of noticing and pausing to look.
気きづく
気づく is a general verb for noticing or becoming aware of something, not limited to visual attention. 目を留める specifically involves stopping one's gaze.

Etymology

Compound of 目 (eye) + を (object marker) + 留める (to stop, to fasten). Literally 'to stop one's eyes on something', giving the meaning of noticing or paying attention to something visually.