Meaning & use
burying head in sand
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiomfigurative
Refusing to accept or deal with an unpleasant situation, hoping it will go away.
Grammar: Often used as a noun phrase after 'is' or 'like': It's like burying your head in the sand.
Patterns
- burying your head in the sand
- bury one's head in the sand
Ignoring the doctor's warnings is just burying your head in the sand.
The company is burying its head in the sand about the falling sales.
You can't keep burying your head in the sand and hope the problem disappears.
Common combinations
- bury your head in the sand
- If you bury your head in the sand, you'll never solve the issue.
- like burying your head in the sand
- Pretending everything is fine is like burying your head in the sand.
- accuse someone of burying their head in the sand
- The critics accused the government of burying its head in the sand over climate change.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ostrich strategy
- A noun phrase with the same idea, but less common and more formal.
- denial
- A general term for refusing to accept reality; the idiom is more vivid and critical.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: burying head in sand or head in the clouds?
burying head in sand vs head in the clouds
Means being unrealistic or dreamy, not refusing to face a problem.
Practice
What does 'burying your head in the sand' mean?
Choose one answer.
'Burying your head in the sand' means avoiding or ignoring a difficult situation, hoping it will go away. Option B is the opposite. Option C is wrong because the phrase suggests worry or avoidance, not calm. Option D is wrong because the idiom is about ignoring problems, not hiding valuables.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “burying head in sand”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.