close eyes 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

---

close/shut your eyes to something

to pretend that something bad does not exist because you do not want to deal with it She was besotted with him and closed her eyes to his character defects. You can't just shut your eyes to your problems and hope that they'll go away.

See also: close, eye

---

close your/its eyes to something also shut your/its eyes to something

to ignore something turn a blind eye (to something) As a cop, I can't close my eyes to illegal drugs, even when I'm not working. The church cannot close its eyes to suffering.

See also: close, eye