close eyes to

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.See also: close, eye

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