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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary from the Lyrics of Pete Seeger
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Why Women Should Vote" by Jane Addams (1910)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
With “Alien” and “Blade Runner” just around the corner, it’s easy to overlook Scott’s astonishingly assured feature debut, which won him the prize for best first film at Cannes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
With airlines bringing the no-frills fares to business and first class, it’s easy to overlook continuing changes in the cabin that started this madness: economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
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
Furthermore, if you overlook the two-month recession that occurred at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been a decade since the last major economic downturn.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
Kit was in a mood to overlook his mockery.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
The Bus Yard bar in Crosby, which overlooks the beach, has said it will be open during the course of the eclipse and will be hosting live music.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
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
“The Cruelest Game” overlooks some of the most interesting trend lines in tennis today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
If you drive on the 101 Freeway, you might catch a glimpse of the giant Minion that overlooks the city from the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
When he lived in Montana, Roy once hiked up Pine Creek Trail into the Absaroka Range, which overlooks Paradise Valley and the Yellowstone River.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Brook could have appeared scorned after being overlooked for his friend and team-mate.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
That could be a critical, overlooked detail in an appeal or appraisal, as it could undermine the insurer’s position.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Quant funds move fast when momentum turns, pulling cash out of crowded trades like tech and into overlooked ones like healthcare.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Yet in their rush to destroy the old guard, Weiss and Ellison have overlooked the fact that they left behind an elite corps of unemployed, highly motivated investigative journalists with nothing left to lose.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
His single, undead eye most certainly would have overlooked the flash of white fur.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
The Revolutionary Guard supervised deployments of missiles, naval weapons and drone launchers to positions overlooking the Red Sea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
On a Turkish hillside overlooking the olive-covered slopes outside Izmir is a cave known to generations of locals as the place where Homer penned "The Odyssey".
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
A large crowd gathered to watch the bonfire, while police observed from the city walls overlooking the Bogside.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
There is also a sizable swimming pool overlooking a fenced, lighted tennis court, as well as a serene pond with a charming bridge pathway running over it.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Harlem had wonderful rooftops, and sometimes I would take the stairs to ours to sit near the edge overlooking Morningside Avenue and read.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
