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:
But what makes sense on paper can also overlook the effect on morale and, eventually, productivity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The review did not overlook the 2023 research.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
It will be located on the former site of the Golden Bear Theatre and will overlook the recently refurbished kiddie area, Looney Tunes Land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
They are astonishingly adaptable and, perhaps for exactly that reason, easy to overlook.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
We overlook just how large a role we all play—and by “we” I mean society—in determining who makes it and who doesn’t.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
A mile-long boardwalk overlooks the beach, as does the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, which has its own popular blufftop trail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Mao's face is printed on banknotes, his portrait overlooks Tiananmen Square, and his body is preserved in a mausoleum.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
The property also boasts 740 square feet of decking—and a large swimming pool that overlooks the ocean.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Amanda, whose home overlooks the site, said her biggest concern was "the noise, the visual impact and whether it will affect house prices" in her local area.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
It is a wide cement building that overlooks what was once the river.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
“He was driven to create a space that would showcase the brilliant illustrators that he thought were too often overlooked and ignored,” Hobson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
While Maddy's relationships and wellbeing were scrutinised, Olivia says she felt Maddy herself, and who she was away from the pitch, was overlooked.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
But the report also uncovered something that had been overlooked: Many sailors spent their downtime on phones instead of studying for qualifications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The discovery raises the possibility that other coral ecosystems along West Africa may have been overlooked, forgotten, or never documented in the first place.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
I remembered years of being overlooked, of party invitations being “lost in the mail.”
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
Regulators grappling with the risks of private credit may be overlooking fund-level debt, which helps private lenders manage cash flows and, in some cases, juice the returns on good deals, WSJ Pro’s Chris Cumming writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
But they did not yet hold any areas directly overlooking Bab al-Mandab.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
“When he has his tail up, he’s happy,” Atrakchi said on a recent hike overlooking the reservoir.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The BBC's Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson reports from Ma'ale Adumim - an existing Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, overlooking Israel's proposed E1 site.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The humble space has two beds, a desk, a tiny cookstove, and a large window overlooking the street.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
