ignore
Americanverb (used with object)
-
ignores,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ignored,
past participle, past
-
ignoring
present participle
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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ignorernoun
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ignorableadjective
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unignorableadjective
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unignoredadjective
-
unignoringadjective
-
well-ignoredadjective
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unignorablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ignoresimple
-
ignoressimple
-
have ignoredperfect
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has ignoredperfect
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am ignoringprogressive
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are ignoringprogressive
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is ignoringprogressive
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have been ignoringperfect progressive
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has been ignoringperfect progressive
Past
-
ignoredsimple
-
had ignoredperfect
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was ignoringprogressive
-
were ignoringprogressive
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had been ignoringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ignore
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin ignōrāre “to not know, disregard,” verb derivative of ignārus “ignorant, unaware” (with -ō- perhaps from ignōtus “unknown”), equivalent to in- in- 3 + gnārus “knowing, acquainted (with)”; akin to (g)nōscere “to know 1 ”
Explanation
To ignore something is to disregard it. If you ignore the rules of grammar, you're likely to be misunderstood. It's easy to see the relationship between ignore and a word such as ignorant. To be ignorant of something is to know nothing about it. A good way to be ignorant about something is to ignore it. In other words, if you want to be ignorant about a certain subject—that is, if you want to know nothing about it—then by all means ignore it. Pay it no mind.
Vocabulary lists containing ignore
Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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Sula
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"Indian Summer Sun" and "Almost Evenly Divided"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Although some might consider it taboo to steal from a church, he said, when the price of a good rises high enough, people are more likely to take risks or ignore their own moral compass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Make something that gets better while you ignore it.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
“There will be a point where a bunch of artists express worry about what we’re doing here and we’ll likely ignore their concerns and release anyway.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
So Jung couldn't ignore what she was seeing.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Which was supposed to be silent, a basic fact that, even in death, Mr. Gindi decided to ignore.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
The guy then ignores said friend—only to learn that those crypto holdings are going to the moon while his own investments are going nowhere.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
In a statement shared with US media, lawyers for Black called the House move an "outrageous action that ignores the facts and the truth about Mr. Black".
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
It ignores the revenue side, which has failed to keep up with spending.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Ghalibaf was less direct but said there will be no security if the country ignores its economic crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
That proud image ignores the role that slavery played in influencing some people’s attitudes about the war.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Spanning five decades and installed chronologically, it features work from the 26 years she spent immersed in Venice’s creative community even as her practice was largely ignored.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
A guy he knew had told him to invest early, but Walker had ignored him, only to watch from the sidelines as the price went up and up and up.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
These sanitized accounts ignored the homemade dangers, such as the health problems fostered by an overstretched military — realities many children would face when a changed parent finally came home.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
The committee’s decision was unusual and ignored the opposition of agency scientists, according to Time magazine.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Without the master along, the boys just ignored me as usual and got on with their work.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
The AI agents decided that ignoring the limits on what should be done to achieve their goal was the best course of action.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Death is uncomfortable to plan for, but ignoring it doesn’t make it cheaper.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
A perfect marriage of horror and comedy, ‘Widow’s Bay’ reminds us that ignoring monsters won’t make them go away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Years after ignoring his coach’s orders, Smith has turned those flashy catches into his signature at Ohio State, where he is now the most explosive gamebreaker in college football.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The raven cawed again, ignoring the treats being lobbed at it.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
