1.
to close one's eyes
The literal, physical act of shutting one's eyes.
目をつぶってください。
Please close your eyes.
子どもたちは目をつぶって数を数えた。
The children closed their eyes and counted.
怖い場面では思わず目をつぶってしまう。
I involuntarily close my eyes during scary scenes.
2.
to overlook; to turn a blind eye
To deliberately ignore a fault, mistake, or wrongdoing rather than addressing it.
今回は目をつぶろう。
I'll let it slide this time.
小さなミスには目をつぶるべきだ。
You should overlook minor mistakes.
品質の問題に目をつぶるわけにはいかない。
We can't turn a blind eye to quality issues.
A common expression with both a literal and figurative meaning. The figurative sense of deliberately ignoring something is widely used in daily conversation and business contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 目をつぶってください: please close your eyes
- 欠点に目をつぶる: overlook a flaw
- 今回は目をつぶる: let it go this time
- 見て見ぬふりをする: pretend not to see (close synonym)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 目をそらす: to avert one's eyes — physically or figuratively looking away, but implies avoidance rather than forgiveness
- 大目に見る: to be lenient — specifically about showing leniency, always figurative
- 見逃す: to overlook; to miss — can be either intentional or accidental