1.
to take one's eyes off; to look away; to stop watching
to stop paying attention or watching something, especially when continuous attention is needed for safety
子供から目を離さないでください。
Please don't take your eyes off the children.
ちょっと目を離した隙に猫が魚を食べていた。
The moment I looked away, the cat was eating the fish.
一瞬でも目を離すと危ないので、常に見守っている必要がある。
It's dangerous to look away even for a moment, so you need to watch constantly.
Very commonly used in parenting, childcare, and safety contexts. Almost always appears in negative or conditional forms — warning against looking away or describing what happened when someone did look away.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 目を離さないで: don't look away
- 目を離した隙に: in the moment one looked away
- 一瞬目を離す: to look away for just a moment
- 目が離せない: cannot take one's eyes off (also means "riveting")
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 目が離せない: can't take one's eyes off — can mean both "must keep watching" (safety) and "captivating" (entertainment)
- 見守る: to watch over — the positive action of keeping watch
- 油断する: to let one's guard down — broader carelessness, not limited to visual attention
USAGE NOTE:
The related expression 目が離せない has a dual meaning: "must keep watching" (parenting/safety) and "can't stop watching" (something fascinating). The volitional form 目を離す specifically means the deliberate or momentary act of looking away.