overlooks
overlooks — verb
- overlookspresent simple I / you / we / they
- overlookses3rd person singular
- overlooksing-ing form
- overlooksedpast simple
1. if a room, hill, or building overlooks a place, it is above that place and gives
if a room, hill, or building overlooks a place, it is above that place and gives a clear view across it.
The kitchen window overlooks the school yard and the old gym.
pattern: window overlooks a place
A white hotel overlooks the harbor from the top of the cliff.
building subject: overlooks the harbor
Our balcony overlooks a small park behind the station.
The cafe overlooks rice fields, so sunrise fills the whole room.
view from above: overlook + landscape
On clear days, the chapel overlooks three villages and the river below.
- overlooks the harbor
- overlooks the valley
- overlooks the river
- overlooks the square
- overlooks the garden
- look out over
a descriptive phrase that states the same physical relationship more directly
- face
broader and does not always suggest height or a wide view
- command
formal and often used for an impressive view from above
Grammar Patterns
overlooks + place/area
building/window/balcony + overlooks + place
Usage Note
Subject is usually a place or part of a place, such as a hotel, room, balcony, or hill, rather than a person. The object is the area that can be seen from the higher position.
Common Mistakes
2. to not notice someone or something, or to leave them out when making a choice, l
to not notice someone or something, or to leave them out when making a choice, list, or judgment.
Lena overlooks one minus sign and gets the whole answer wrong.
overlooks + small detail
In the rush, the nurse overlooks Sam's name on the second form.
The guidebook overlooks the small museum behind the night market.
pattern: overlooks + place omitted from a guide
The hiring panel overlooks Rania, despite her years of fieldwork.
selection context: overlooks a candidate
A rushed editor overlooks the date at the top of the letter.
- overlooks a detail
- overlooks a mistake
- overlooks a warning sign
- overlooks a name
- overlooks a candidate
Grammar Patterns
overlooks + detail/problem
overlooks + person/candidate
Usage Note
Often used for details, names, warning signs, places, or suitable people. Distinguish from sense 3: in this sense the person usually did not notice the thing at all, while sense 3 is a deliberate choice not to react.
Common Mistakes
3. to see that something is wrong or annoying but decide not to react to it.
to see that something is wrong or annoying but decide not to react to it.
The teacher overlooks Ben's late homework because his father is ill.
overlooks + fault because of circumstances
Judge Lin overlooks one small mistake and signs the paper.
collocation: overlooks a mistake
At dinner, Aunt May overlooks Rosa's rude reply and changes the subject.
The coach overlooks one bad game, but not lazy practice.
contrast: tolerate one thing, reject another
Our manager overlooks short delays when the trains stop after midnight.
- overlooks a fault
- overlooks a mistake
- overlooks bad behavior
- overlooks a delay
- overlooks an insult
Grammar Patterns
overlooks + fault/mistake
overlooks + rude behavior/delay
Usage Note
Object is usually something wrong, annoying, or imperfect, such as a mistake, delay, or rude act. Distinguish from sense 2, where the speaker failed to notice the thing instead of deciding to excuse it.
Common Mistakes
4. to check something carefully or watch over people and work to make sure things a
to check something carefully or watch over people and work to make sure things are handled properly.
The site manager overlooks each scaffold before the painters climb up.
overlooks + equipment before work
An experienced editor overlooks every page before the newsletter is printed.
formal use: overlooks a process
At night, one nurse overlooks the recovery room while others rest.
The farm owner overlooks the workers near the south field each morning.
overlooks + people doing work
The head chef overlooks the kitchen line before lunch service begins.
- overlooks the workers
- overlooks the process
- overlooks each page
- overlooks the room
- overlooks the kitchen line
Grammar Patterns
overlooks + work/process
overlooks + person/group
Usage Note
This sense is more formal and less common than sense 1. The subject is usually a person with responsibility, and the object is the work, place, or people being checked or supervised.
Common Mistakes
overlooks — noun
- overlookssingular
- overlooksesplural
1. places where people stop to look out over a wide scene, often one with natural b
places where people stop to look out over a wide scene, often one with natural beauty.
We stopped at two overlooks above Sun Moon Lake before lunch.
pattern: at overlooks
Wooden signs pointed hikers toward the overlooks near the waterfall.
From the overlooks, families watched clouds move across the valley.
pattern: from overlooks
The highway has several overlooks where drivers rest and take photos.
travel context: several overlooks
By sunset, the overlooks were full of people with cameras.
- mountain overlooks
- roadside overlooks
- stop at overlooks
- from the overlooks
- overlooks above the lake
- viewpoints
a common general word for places with a view
- lookouts
often used for high viewing spots and sounds slightly more informal
- scenic points
common in travel contexts and road signs
Grammar Patterns
at overlooks
from overlooks
Usage Note
Used when a road, park, or mountain area has more than one marked viewing place. The singular form is overlook.
Common Mistakes
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/2
For verb sense 2, overlook is close to miss, ignore, and omit, but the focus is slightly different. Miss is the most everyday choice for failing to notice something: you might miss a sign or miss a typo. Overlook often sounds a little more formal and can also mean leaving a person or place out of consideration. Ignore is usually more deliberate: if you ignore a warning, you saw it but chose not to act. Omit is best when something is left out of a list, report, or plan. For example, a guidebook might overlook a small museum, a hiring panel might overlook a good candidate, but a clerk would omit an address from a form.
Etymology
Overlooks comes from overlook, formed in English from over and look. Its oldest literal idea is seeing something from a higher place across what lies below. English later extended the word to meanings such as missing a detail, excusing a fault, and supervising work or people. The -s form is used for the present-tense verb with he, she, it, or a singular noun, and it is also the plural of the noun meaning a viewing spot.
First known use
14th century
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun