# overlook

Pronunciation: US say "oh-vur-LUUK" /ˌoʊ.vɚˈlʊk/; UK say "oh-vuh-LUUK" /ˌəʊ.vəˈlʊk/

## Verb

1. To fail to notice something, looking past it without seeing it.
   - Simple: To miss something or not notice it, often by accident.
   - _Reviewers sometimes overlook key details buried deep in a long report._
   - _He overlooked the warning signs until it was far too late._
2. To deliberately ignore a mistake or flaw, letting it pass without criticism or punishment.
   - Simple: To let a mistake go without punishing it or making a fuss.
   - _Managers sometimes overlook minor rule-breaking to keep morale high._
   - _The referee overlooked the foul because play had already moved on._
3. To face and look out over something lower down, giving a view of it.
   - Simple: To give a view of a place from somewhere higher up.
   - _The castle terrace overlooks the entire valley below._
   - _Tall windows overlook the busy square from the third floor._
4. To look down on something from above or from a higher location.
   - Simple: To look down at something from a higher place.
   - _Sentries overlook the harbor from the fortress walls._
   - _She climbed up to overlook the valley spread out below._

## Noun

Pronunciation: US say "OH-vur-luuk" /ˈoʊ.vɚˌlʊk/; UK say "OH-vuh-luuk" /ˈəʊ.vəˌlʊk/

5. A high point or platform that gives a view down over something below.
   - Simple: A high spot where you can stand and look down at the view.
   - _The overlook at the summit reveals the entire coastline._
   - _Park rangers built a new overlook above the waterfall._

## Verb

6. To supervise or watch over someone or something. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To watch over and manage people or work.
   - _A trusted servant would overlook the whole household in the master's absence._
   - _The foreman overlooked the laborers as they raised the barn._
7. To watch someone or something secretly, in a hidden or surreptitious way. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To watch someone secretly without them knowing.
   - _The spy would overlook the camp from a hidden ridge above the trees._
   - _From the gallery he overlooked the conspirators as they whispered._
8. To inspect or examine something carefully, going over it closely or repeatedly. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To look at something closely in order to check it.
   - _The clerk would overlook the accounts before signing them off._
   - _He overlooked every line of the contract twice before agreeing._
9. To bewitch or curse someone with an evil eye, harming them simply by looking upon them. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To give someone bad luck by looking at them with an evil eye.
   - _Mothers feared a jealous neighbor might overlook their newborns._
   - _The farmer swore a witch had overlooked his cows and dried their milk._

## Origin

From Middle English 'overloken', which is 'over-' combined with 'look'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/overlook (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).