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

For 47 years Americans preferred to look the other way.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

But I can just look the other way to some degree.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2024

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

“I said ‘you’ve got to be strong and look the other way, because these people don’t know who you are’,” Benedict told the outlet, adding: “I didn’t know how bad it had gotten.”

From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2024

Often people look the other way if there is a fight in the street, to avoid getting in trouble themselves.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

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