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

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

People, basically out of fear, look the other way, trying to suppress things they see, and forget.

From Los Angeles Times

“Devil in Disguise” also unpacks the details of the twice-married Gacy before his killing spree, and all the troubling signs were there, even if everyone around him chose to look the other way.

From Los Angeles Times

“They’re paying me enough money to look the other way. Do you understand? Look the other way,” he said on his podcast.

From Salon

“Every day I see our communities struggling to make ends meet, working two and three jobs like my mother did, and like I did to support myself through college, while establishment Democrats look the other way to please their corporate donors,” she said.

From Salon

Related Words

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