shut (one's) eyes to (something)

shut (one's) eyes to (something)

To willfully ignore, pretend not to notice, or choose not to deal with something. My parents have always thought of Jake as the golden child, and they're constantly shutting their eyes to some of his biggest faults. Mr. President, we can just shut our eyes to the instability of the economy, or else we could be facing a worldwide recession in the near future.See also: eye, shut

shut your eyes to

be wilfully ignorant of. 1993 Isidore Okpewho Tides In the last few weeks, it has become clear to me that this peace and quiet may elude me if I shut my eyes to the all too obvious suffering of people around me. See also: eye, shut

shut/close your ˈeyes to something

pretend that you have not noticed something so that you do not have to deal with it: My son has his faults — and I’ve never closed my eyes to them — but dishonesty isn’t one of them. ♢ Politicians seemed to be shutting their eyes to corruption in the police force.See also: close, eye, shut, something

shut (one's) eyes to

To refuse to consider or acknowledge: administrators who shut their eyes to pervasive corruption.See also: eye, shut