close (one's) eyes to (something)

To willfully ignore or overlook something. All parents want to believe their child is perfect, so many close their eyes to their child's wrongdoings or flaws on some level. Our boss would rather close his eyes to the truth than figure out how to keep the company from going bankrupt. Dad, you can't just close your eyes to all the problems in the house. I mean, the roof is gonna cave in if you don't get someone out here to fix it!

See also: close, eye, to

close one's eyes to something

and shut one's eyes to something

1. Lit. to close one's eyes to avoid seeing something unpleasant. I had to close my eyes to the carnage about me. I couldn't bear to look.

2. Fig. to ignore something; to pretend that something is not happening. Maria simply shut her eyes to the bad morale in her department.

See also: close, eye, to

close one's eyes to

Also, shut one eyes to. Deliberately ignore, refuse to notice. For example, Jill closed her eyes to the danger and pushed off downhill, or The professor shut her eyes to students who read a book during her lecture. [Early 1700s] For a synonym see turn a blind eye.

See also: close, eye, to

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

close (or shut) your eyes to

refuse to notice or acknowledge something unwelcome or unpleasant.

See also: close, eye, to

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