look the other way

Idioms  

1. Deliberately overlook something, especially something of an illicit nature. For example, They're not really entitled to a discount but the sales manager decided to look the other way. This expression uses the other way in the sense of “away from what is normal or expected.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

look the other way

One way of doing that is by making people look the other way.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

For 47 years Americans preferred to look the other way.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

Some businesses didn’t allow underage workers, they said, while others look the other way and don’t inquire about ages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025

Fans are questioning whether the official site had taken adequate steps to prevent this, or whether it chose to look the other way.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2024

"We tend to look the other way when it's in a residential neighborhood. But right here, on the town green, we have to enforce the law. Otherwise we'd have someone selling something every two feet."

From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies

Related Words

• avoid
• discount
• fail
• forget
• neglect
• overlook
• reject
• scorn