ENGLISH
REFERENCE

overlooked

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈoʊvɝˌɫʊkt// UK //ˌəʊvəlˈʊkt// over·looked

v. to fail to notice something or to ignore it, sometimes on purpose. You use this when someone misses a detail or chooses not to punish a small mistake.

v. to fail to notice, perceive, or consider; to disregard or ignore deliberately. Transitive — requires a direct object.


SIMPLE

The manager overlooked a small mistake in the report.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee decided to overlook his lack of experience because his portfolio was so impressive.

COMPLEX

While the architect's plan was visually stunning, he had overlooked several critical safety regulations that eventually forced a complete redesign of the building's foundation.

Synonyms
Origin

From over- + looked.

Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. It can also mean to provide a view from above, though the 'ignore' sense is more common in general testing.

Pitfall

He was overlooked of the errorHe overlooked the errorOverlook is a transitive verb; it does not take a preposition like 'of' before the object.

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