overlook Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a high place affording a good view
  2. verb look past, fail to notice
  3. verb be oriented in a certain direction
    look out over; look out on; look across.
    • The house looks out on a tennis court
    • The apartment overlooks the Hudson
  4. verb leave undone or leave out
    pretermit; omit; drop; overleap; leave out; miss; neglect.
    • How could I miss that typo?
    • The workers on the conveyor belt miss one out of ten
  5. verb look down on
    overtop; dominate; command.
    • The villa dominates the town
  6. verb watch over
    • I am overlooking her work

WordNet

O`ver*look" transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Overlooked ; present participle & verbal noun Overlooking
Definitions
  1. To look down upon from a place that is over or above; to look over or view from a higher position; to rise above, so as to command a view of; as, to overlook a valley from a hill. "The pile o'erlooked the town." Dryden.
    [Titan] with burning eye did hotly overlook them. Shak.
  2. Hence: To supervise; to watch over; sometimes, to observe secretly; as, to overlook a gang of laborers; to overlook one who is writing a letter.
  3. To inspect; to examine; to look over carefully or repeatedly. "Overlook this pedigree." Shak.
    The time and care that are required To overlook and file and polish well. Roscommon.
  4. To look upon with an evil eye; to bewitch by looking upon; to fascinate. Obs. or Prov. Eng. Shak.
    If you trouble me I will overlook you, and then your pigs will die. C. Kingsley.
  5. To look over and beyond (anything) without seeing it; to miss or omit in looking; hence, to refrain from bestowing notice or attention upon; to neglect; to pass over without censure or punishment; to excuse.
    The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. Acts xvii. 30 (Rev. Ver. )
    They overlook truth in the judgments they pass. Atterbury.
    The pardoning and overlooking of faults. Addison.

Webster 1913