overlook

[oh-ver-look, oh-ver-look]

verb (used with object)

1. to fail to notice, perceive, or consider.

   to overlook a misspelled word.

   Synonyms: miss

2. to disregard or ignore indulgently, as faults or misconduct.

   Only a parent could overlook that kind of behavior.

3. to look over, as from a higher position.

   a balcony that overlooks the ballroom.

4. to afford a view over; look down or out upon.

   a hill overlooking the sea.

5. to rise above.

   The Washington Monument overlooks the tidal basin.

6. to excuse; pardon.

   a minor infraction we can overlook this time.

7. to look over in inspection, examination, or perusal.

   They allowed us to overlook the proposed contract.

8. to look after, oversee, or supervise.

   She has to overlook a large number of employees.

9. Archaic.,  to look upon with the evil eye; bewitch.

noun

1. terrain, as on a cliff, that affords an attractive vista or a good view.

   Miles of landscape could be seen from the overlook.

overlook

verb

1. to fail to notice or take into account

2. to disregard deliberately or indulgently

3. to look at or over from above

   the garden is overlooked by the prison

4. to afford a view of from above

   the house overlooks the bay

5. to rise above

6. to look after

7. to look at carefully

8. to bewitch or cast the evil eye upon (someone)

noun

1. a high place affording a view

2. an act of overlooking

Word History and Origins

Origin of overlook¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; over-, look

Synonym Study

See slight.

Example Sentences

The “exquisite” estate sits on 2 acres overlooking the 17th hole of the White Deer Run Golf Course, according to the listing.

Read more on MarketWatch

Prof. Mayer Brezis of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem argues that both the medical community and regulators have repeatedly failed to protect the public by overlooking signs of psychiatric harm associated with the drug.

Read more on Science Daily

The report also highlighted persistent but overlooked levels of forest degradation, where land is damaged but not razed entirely, mostly owing to logging, road building and fires lit to clear land.

Read more on Barron's

Drawing on hours of secretly recorded phone calls, hundreds of pages of police records and months of reporting, the series exposes how the initial investigation may have been shaped by police misconduct and overlooked evidence.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It’s also one of the larger projects of journalism — finding overlooked stories and telling them well.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• discount 
• forget 
• ignore 
• omit