overlook

[oh-ver-look, oh-ver-look]

verb (used with object)

1. to fail to notice, perceive, or consider.

   to overlook a misspelled word.

   Synonyms: miss

2. to disregard or ignore indulgently, as faults or misconduct.

   Only a parent could overlook that kind of behavior.

3. to look over, as from a higher position.

   a balcony that overlooks the ballroom.

4. to afford a view over; look down or out upon.

   a hill overlooking the sea.

5. to rise above.

   The Washington Monument overlooks the tidal basin.

6. to excuse; pardon.

   a minor infraction we can overlook this time.

7. to look over in inspection, examination, or perusal.

   They allowed us to overlook the proposed contract.

8. to look after, oversee, or supervise.

   She has to overlook a large number of employees.

9. Archaic.,  to look upon with the evil eye; bewitch.

noun

1. terrain, as on a cliff, that affords an attractive vista or a good view.

   Miles of landscape could be seen from the overlook.

overlook

verb

1. to fail to notice or take into account

2. to disregard deliberately or indulgently

3. to look at or over from above

   the garden is overlooked by the prison

4. to afford a view of from above

   the house overlooks the bay

5. to rise above

6. to look after

7. to look at carefully

8. to bewitch or cast the evil eye upon (someone)

noun

1. a high place affording a view

2. an act of overlooking

Word History and Origins

Origin of overlook¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; over-, look

Synonym Study

See slight.

Example Sentences

It is unclear who has put the clean-up sign in place at steps overlooking the bay.

Read more on BBC

Many families overlook this step, but a direct conversation with the college or university can clarify exactly what’s included in the award.

Read more on MarketWatch

Nine days later, at 9:30 a.m., the thieves drove the truck onto a sidewalk and parked it below a balcony of the Louvre Palace that overlooks the Seine River.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Taken together, it’s a reminder that sometimes it pays to bet on overlooked stocks.

Read more on Barron's

All this should point you toward an inescapable but often overlooked fact: Stocks are likely to be the best-performing asset, but even a high likelihood isn’t the same thing as certainty.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• discount 
• forget 
• ignore 
• omit