ignore
She can be really irritating but I try to ignore her.
to deliberately pay no attention to something that you have been told or that you know about
Never ignore the cry of help from the poor!
Oxford Essential Dictionary
ignore
verb (ignores, ignoring, ignored )
to know about somebody or something, but to not do anything about it:
He completely ignored his doctor's advice.
I said hello to her, but she ignored me!
which word?
Be careful! Ignore and be ignorant are not the same.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
ignore
ig‧nore S2 W2 AC /ɪɡˈnɔː $ -ˈnɔːr/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: ignorer 'not to know', from Latin, from ignarus 'not knowing, unknown', from in- 'not' + gnoscere 'to know']
1. to deliberately pay no attention to something that you have been told or that you know about:
You can’t ignore the fact that many criminals never go to prison.
problems which we can’t afford to ignore
2. to behave as if you had not heard or seen someone or something:
The phone rang, but she ignored it.
Sam rudely ignored the question.
completely/totally ignore somebody/something
He had completely ignored her remark, preferring his own theory.
REGISTER
In everyday British English, people often say take no notice of something or not take any notice of something rather than ignore something:
▪ There are signs telling you not to smoke, but people don’t take any notice of them.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
ignore
ig·nore AW [ignore ignores ignored ignoring] [ɪɡˈnɔː(r)] [ɪɡˈnɔːr] verb
1. ~ sth to pay no attention to sth
Syn: disregard
• He ignored all the ‘No Smoking’ signs and lit up a cigarette.
• I made a suggestion but they chose to ignore it.
• We cannot afford to ignore their advice.
• She deliberately ignored my question and changed the subject.
2. ~ sb to pretend that you have not seen sb or that sb is not there
Syn: take no notice of
• She ignored him and carried on with her work.
• If he tries to start an argument, just ignore him.
Verb forms:
Word Origin:
late 15th cent. (in the sense ‘be ignorant of’): from French ignorer or Latin ignorare ‘not know, ignore’, from in- ‘not’ + gno-, a base meaning ‘know’. Current senses date from the early 19th cent.
Thesaurus:
ignore verb T
• She ignored him and carried on with her work.
take no notice • • overlook • • neglect • • turn a blind eye • • gloss over sth • |formal disregard •
Opp: pay attention to sb/sth
ignore/overlook/neglect/turn a blind eye to/gloss over/disregard the fact that…
ignore/overlook/neglect/disregard the importance/need/possibility of sth
ignore/disregard sb's advice/rules/wishes
Example Bank:
• He blithely ignored her protests and went on talking as if all were agreed between them.
• He continued eating, deciding to ignore her.
• He preferred to ignore these comments.
• Her mother's opinions on how babies should be cared for were freely given and duly ignored.
• Hill wilfully ignored the conventions of the banking world.
• I shrugged, pretending to ignore him.
• I've learned to ignore all of my sister's hurtful comments.
• It would be foolish to ignore them completely.
• Jason had managed to ignore a lot of the pressure for most of his career.
• People seem very willing to ignore the risks.
• Safety guidelines had been blatantly ignored.
• Safety standards are widely ignored in the industry.
• Scientists have tended to ignore these creatures.
• She sat at her desk and studiously ignored me.
• Shona basically ignored her.
• Social services routinely ignore the problems facing at-risk young women.
• The diesel fumes from Oxford's buses are not easily ignored.
• The government has simply ignored the problem altogether.
• The group politely ignored her remark.
• The judge chose to ignore the views of the doctors.
• The managers have conveniently ignored these statistics.
• The pernicious effect of this advertising on children is a problem that we ignore at our peril.
• The press typically ignores a problem until it causes a crisis.
• These people occupy such a marginal position in society that the authorities think they can be safely ignored.
• a look of disapproval which he promptly ignored
• a warning the president cannot afford to ignore
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
ignore / ɪɡˈnɔː r / / -ˈnɔːr / verb [ T ]
B2 to intentionally not listen or give attention to:
She can be really irritating but I try to ignore her.
Safety regulations are being ignored by company managers in the drive to increase profits.
How can the government ignore the wishes of the majority?
I smiled at her but she just ignored me.
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
ignore
[ɪgnɔ͟ː(r)]
♦♦
ignores, ignoring, ignored
1) VERB If you ignore someone or something, you pay no attention to them.
[V n] She said her husband ignored her...
[V n] The government had ignored his views on the subject...
[V n] She ignored legal advice to drop the case...
[V n] For two decades her theatrical talents were ignored by the film industry.
Syn:
disregard
2) VERB If you say that an argument or theory ignores an important aspect of a situation, you are criticizing it because it fails to consider that aspect or to take it into account.
[V n] Such arguments ignore the question of where ultimate responsibility lay.
Syn:
overlook
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
ignore
ig·nore /ɪgˈnoɚ/ verb -nores; -nored; -nor·ing [+ obj]
1 : to refuse to show that you hear or see (something or someone)
• She tried to ignore him but he wouldn't leave her alone.
• I'll ignore that last remark.
2 : to do nothing about or in response to (something or someone)
• If we continue to ignore these problems they will only get worse.
• They ignored the warning signs.
• ignoring the poor
