Meaning & use
bury head in sand
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Meaning
phraseidiomdisapproving
to refuse to accept or deal with a difficult situation, hoping it will go away
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; often followed by 'about' or 'over' to mention the problem.
Patterns
- bury your head in the sand about something
- bury your head in the sand over something
The government is burying its head in the sand over climate change.
You can't just bury your head in the sand and pretend the debt doesn't exist.
She buried her head in the sand about her son's problems, hoping they would disappear.
Common combinations
- bury your head in the sand about
- He's burying his head in the sand about his failing grades.
- bury your head in the sand over
- The company buried its head in the sand over the safety complaints.
- like an ostrich burying its head in the sand
- She acts like an ostrich burying its head in the sand whenever bad news comes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ignore
- A general verb meaning to pay no attention; 'bury your head in the sand' is more vivid and suggests willful denial.
- turn a blind eye
- Means to deliberately ignore something wrong; similar, but often implies allowing bad behavior rather than personal avoidance.
Opposites
Practice
Which sentence uses 'bury your head in the sand' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom means to avoid facing a problem, so 'hoping it would fix itself' fits. Option 0 is wrong because solving the problem is the opposite. Option 2 is wrong because celebrating is not avoiding. Option 3 is wrong because studying is not avoiding a problem.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bury head in sand”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.