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turn a blind eye

to ignore something deliberately

In Idioms & Sayings

In more detail

(idiom) to deliberately ignore something wrong or unpleasant that you know is happening

Examples

• The manager turned a blind eye to the employees' late arrivals.

How to use turn a blind eye

This idiom expresses willful ignorance or deliberate avoidance of wrongdoing, typically with moral implications. It suggests not just passive overlooking but an active choice to ignore something one knows about. It is commonly used in contexts involving ethical lapses, misconduct, or injustice.

Common phrases

• turn a blind eye to something
• turn a blind eye to corruption
• turn a blind eye to abuse
• deliberately turn a blind eye

Synonyms

ignore · overlook · disregard · look the other way · pretend not to notice

Opposites

confront · acknowledge · address

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use it without the preposition 'to' (saying 'turn a blind eye' without an object), but the idiom requires specifying what is being ignored.

Nearby in Idioms & Sayings

steal someone's thunder, the whole nine yards, throw caution to the wind, water under the bridge, when pigs fly, wild goose chase

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained