looked the other way
Chose not noticing
To look the other way is to deliberately ignore something, especially wrongdoing or a problem you could address.
The phrase suggests physically turning away to avoid witnessing what you'd rather not see or acknowledge: The guards looked the other way while prisoners were beaten.
It often implies complicity through inaction: Management looked the other way as safety violations piled up.
- turn awayDeny someone access
- ignoreRefuse to notice
- turned a blind eyeFeigned unawareness deliberately
- indifferenceLack of interest
- not my problemDismissal of accountability
see no evil · none of my business · dismiss · disregard · neglected · silent treatment · kept quiet · complicity · willful ignorance · bystander effect · tolerate · condoned · denial · avoidance · evasion · swept under the rug · tacit approval · plausible deniability
looked the other wayscrutinized
Examined in close detail
watched like a hawk · took notice · paid attention · kept an eye on · monitored
looked the other wayconfronted
Challenged or opposed directly
intervened · spoke up · called out · blew the whistle · took action
looked the other waycracked down
Enforced rules severely
held accountable · threw the book at · prosecuted · disciplined · punished
looked, looking, looker, onlooker, outlook, overlook, other, others, otherwise