overlook
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to fail to notice, perceive, or consider.
to overlook a misspelled word.
- Synonyms:
- miss
-
to disregard or ignore indulgently, as faults or misconduct.
Only a parent could overlook that kind of behavior.
-
to look over, as from a higher position.
a balcony that overlooks the ballroom.
-
to afford a view over; look down or out upon.
a hill overlooking the sea.
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to rise above.
The Washington Monument overlooks the tidal basin.
-
a minor infraction we can overlook this time.
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to look over in inspection, examination, or perusal.
They allowed us to overlook the proposed contract.
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to look after, oversee, or supervise.
She has to overlook a large number of employees.
-
Archaic. to look upon with the evil eye; bewitch.
noun
verb
-
to fail to notice or take into account
-
to disregard deliberately or indulgently
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to look at or over from above
the garden is overlooked by the prison
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to afford a view of from above
the house overlooks the bay
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to rise above
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to look after
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to look at carefully
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to bewitch or cast the evil eye upon (someone)
noun
-
a high place affording a view
-
an act of overlooking
Synonym Usage
See slight.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overlooksimple
-
overlookssimple
-
have overlookedperfect
-
has overlookedperfect
-
am overlookingprogressive
-
are overlookingprogressive
-
is overlookingprogressive
-
have been overlookingperfect progressive
-
has been overlookingperfect progressive
Past
-
overlookedsimple
-
had overlookedperfect
-
was overlookingprogressive
-
were overlookingprogressive
-
had been overlookingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overlook
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; see origin at over-, look
Explanation
To overlook something is to fail to see it. When planning a party, it's best to write out a to-do list so that you don't overlook any details. The verb overlook literally means to look over the top of. The word has come to refer to the act of neglecting something, usually because your focus is aimed elsewhere. You might overlook the cost of car insurance if you’re busy calculating the cost of buying the car and paying for gas and parking. As a noun, an overlook is a space high above ground. You might overlook your curfew if you're busy enjoying an overlook with your date.
Vocabulary lists containing overlook
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Vocabulary from the Lyrics of Pete Seeger
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"Why Women Should Vote" by Jane Addams (1910)
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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.
Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck, look at what makes SpaceX’s massive IPO so strange and why investors are willing to overlook things like Musk’s obsession with going to Mars.
From Slate • Jun. 20, 2026
While investors currently appear concerned about the combination of high fuel prices and continued capacity growth, they overlook the relationship between fuel costs, industry capacity and fares, Bernstein adds.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
Meanwhile, global policy initiatives on aging like the United Nations’ Decade of Healthy Ageing overlook menopause entirely.
From Salon • Jun. 14, 2026
The site features a visitor center and overlook, and guided and self-guided tours.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
We follow a dirt path that leads around the heiau until we reach an overlook above Waimea Bay and Kamehameha Highway.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
