turn a blind eye
Meaning
To deliberately ignore something wrong, suspicious, or inconvenient, especially when you could act on it.
Origin
Often linked to Admiral Horatio Nelson, who supposedly put a telescope to his blind eye in 1801 to “not see” a signal to retreat, making the phrase a metaphor for willful ignorance.
Notes
Usually critical: implies willful ignorance or tacit approval of wrongdoing. Used in everyday and formal contexts; saying someone “turned a blind eye” can sound accusatory.
Examples
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The manager turned a blind eye to employees arriving late because the team had been working overtime.
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For years, the landlord turned a blind eye to the leaking roof until the tenants threatened to move out.
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The referee was accused of turning a blind eye to repeated fouls in the second half.
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You can’t just turn a blind eye to the warning signs and hope everything works out.
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She decided to turn a blind eye to his minor mistakes and focus on the bigger picture.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Typically used as “turn a blind eye to + noun/gerund.” Tense can change (turned/turning). Article “a” is fixed in the idiom; “turn blind eyes” is uncommon unless literal or stylistic.
Synonyms
- ignore
- look the other way
- turn a deaf ear
- overlook
- pretend not to notice
Antonyms
- take action
- address the issue
- confront it
- call it out
- acknowledge it