overlook
Americanverb (used with object)
-
overlooks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overlooked,
past participle, past
-
overlooking
present participle
-
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.
-
to rise above.
The Washington Monument overlooks the tidal basin.
-
a minor infraction we can overlook this time.
-
to look over in inspection, examination, or perusal.
They allowed us to overlook the proposed contract.
-
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
-
overlooks
plural
verb
-
to fail to notice or take into account
-
to disregard deliberately or indulgently
-
to look at or over from above
the garden is overlooked by the prison
-
to afford a view of from above
the house overlooks the bay
-
to rise above
-
to look after
-
to look at carefully
-
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.
See Examples For:
She argued that human recruiters were better able to recognise the value of candidates returning from career breaks, such as maternity leave, and the transferable skills they bring - qualities AI may overlook.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The white gloves are an obvious tell, even before you even get to early film shorts that the House of Mouse would rather you forget or overlook altogether.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Forbes was also a public figure in a proposal to redevelop Fisherman’s Wharf, which envisions constructing a public plaza and adding a new overlook and lighting to the wharf’s inner lagoon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
They overlook that those payouts were often skimpy, many workers didn’t get the benefit, and companies that went bust left retirees in the lurch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
I can’t seem to be a pessimist long enough to overlook the possibility of things being overwhelmingly good.
From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley
Yes, it overlooks a nest of alleyways, and no, management does not like people going up there, and no, I don’t know all my neighbors by name or even sight yet.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Julia Dawber's home overlooks an expanse of scenic coastline, and she says as many as nine campervans can park up near the shore at any one time.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
In the heart of Lead, this 1925 bungalow overlooks the Homestake Gold Mine Open Cut.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Outside, the home features a glittering lap pool that overlooks the ocean, while hedges that border the 1-acre property help to ensure complete privacy from prying eyes, something that Doherty is said to have prized.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
I glance up to a balcony that overlooks the cylinder of names.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Given how fragile it was, it may simply have disintegrated on the shelf and been overlooked or thrown away.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
His last cap came in 2018 and he was overlooked for a place in Thomas Tuchel's 2026 World Cup squad.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Don’t miss: If Social Security’s funding crisis is the elephant in the room, this is the mouse everyone has overlooked.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
The company’s research is “focused on overlooked aspects of how the human brain functions,” Sutskever said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
I saw allusions in passages that Danny and his father overlooked, and I resolved a contradiction with an appeal to grammar.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
On Saturday evening, Kielpinski spoke about the importance of replacing the existing building during a swanky fundraiser overlooking the water at Descanso Beach Club in Avalon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
He was at Mayer am Nussberg, a Keller-run heuriger perched on a hill overlooking the capital, as part of a team-bonding trip with his social media firm.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
As darkness set in over the Peak District one Wednesday night in June, calls started to come in to Derbyshire's fire service over smoke starting to rise from the moorland overlooking the town.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Designed by acclaimed architecture firm Olson Kundig, the 2,900-square-foot residence features two bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, floor-to-ceiling glass walls, and a spacious terrace overlooking the Hollywood Hills.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Ben points to a door directly across from us by the window suites overlooking the park.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
