Ignore — Meaning, Definition & Examples

Definition

1. Intentionally not listen or give attention to someone.
2. Not consider something or treat it as unimportant.

Context Alive

She called his name three times, but he just kept walking with his headphones on. He completely ignored her, not even turning his head, and she stood there feeling embarrassed in front of everyone at the bus stop.

Meanings

2 meanings

1 Intentionally not listen or give attention to someone — VERY COMMON Common ▼

This meaning is about deliberately not paying attention to a person. Imagine sending a message to a friend and they read it but never reply — they saw it, they just chose to ignore you on purpose. This is ignoring someone — pretending they don’t exist. You might ignore a rude comment instead of starting an argument, or someone could ignore their ex at a party by acting like they’re not there. Or picture a child ignoring their parent’s calls to come inside for dinner, pretending not to hear. The word suggests a deliberate choice. ✏️ Being ignored feels personal — it can hurt more than being criticized, because it sends the message “you don’t matter enough for a response.”

Vivid Example

After the argument, she completely ignored him for three days straight — no texts, no eye contact at work, nothing — until he finally broke the silence with an apology and a cup of her favorite coffee.

2 Not consider something or treat it as unimportant — VERY COMMON Common ▼

This meaning is about choosing not to deal with something — a problem, a rule, or a warning. Imagine a driver who sees a speed limit sign but keeps going fast, choosing to ignore the warning completely. This is ignoring something — acting as if it doesn’t matter. You might ignore your doctor’s advice and keep eating junk food, or a company could ignore customer complaints until it’s too late. Or picture a student who ignores the deadline and submits their essay a week late. The word suggests a risky choice to overlook something important. ✏️ Often used with warnings or advice: “ignore the signs,” “ignore the warning,” “too big/obvious to ignore.”

Vivid Example

The manager kept ignoring the small leak in the ceiling for months, thinking it was nothing serious, until one morning the whole section collapsed and flooded the office below.

Examples from the Street

“I texted him three times and he just ignored me.”

He deliberately didn’t reply / He saw my messages and chose not to respond

“Just ignore them — they’re trying to wind you up.”

Don’t pay attention to them / Don’t react — that’s exactly what they want

“You can’t just ignore the problem and hope it goes away.”

You can’t pretend it doesn’t exist / You have to deal with it

Common Patterns

ignore [someone] → deliberately not respond to or acknowledge a person

ignore [someone’s] calls/texts/messages → choose not to reply to communication

completely/totally ignore → give absolutely no response or acknowledgement

just ignore [someone/something] → common advice meaning don’t react, let it go

be ignored → not receive attention or acknowledgement from others

ignore a/the problem/issue → refuse to deal with something that needs attention

ignore the fact that → deliberately overlook or refuse to accept a truth

ignore the signs/warnings → fail to act on clear indicators

choose to ignore → make a deliberate decision not to acknowledge something

can’t ignore [something] → something is too significant or obvious to overlook

ignore the rules/law → knowingly not follow what you’re supposed to

ignore advice/instructions → not follow what someone has recommended

ignore a warning/order → refuse to act on an official instruction

Collocations

4 collocations

blatantly ignore

deliberately pay no attention in an obvious way

ignore the warning

not take a caution seriously

hard to ignore

too obvious or important to overlook

choose to ignore

deliberately decide not to pay attention

Example Sentences

12 examples

1

She walked right past me and completely ignored me — as if I didn’t even exist

She went straight by without acknowledging me at all — like I was invisible.

2

He’s been ignoring my calls all week — I think he’s angry about what I said

He hasn’t picked up the phone once in seven days — I reckon he’s still upset about my comment.

3

The kids kept making faces at her, but she just ignored them and carried on teaching

The children kept pulling silly expressions, but she paid no attention and continued with the lesson.

4

You can’t ignore the problem — it’s only going to get worse if you don’t deal with it now

You can’t pretend the issue doesn’t exist — it’ll only become bigger if you don’t sort it out straight away.

5

We can’t ignore the fact that sales have dropped by 30% in three months

We have to face the reality that revenue has fallen by nearly a third in just one quarter.

6

He ignored all the warning signs and invested everything — now he’s lost it all

He overlooked every red flag and put all his money in — and now it’s completely gone.

7

She chose to ignore the rude comment and changed the subject instead

She deliberately let the offensive remark pass and moved the conversation to something else.

8

Drivers who ignore the speed limit in school zones are putting children’s lives at risk

Motorists who don’t follow the rules near schools are endangering kids.

9

I told him to see a doctor, but he ignored my advice and now the injury is much worse

I recommended he visit a medical professional, but he didn’t listen, and the damage has got significantly more serious.

10

It’s hard being ignored — especially when you’re trying to help and nobody listens

It’s painful when people don’t acknowledge you — particularly when you’re making an effort to assist and no one pays attention.

Learner Examples

★

Some students ignore the teacher’s feedback on their essays and keep making the same mistakes over and over

Certain learners don’t pay attention to the comments on their written work and repeat the exact same errors again and again.

★

If you ignore your pronunciation problems now, they’ll become habits that are much harder to fix later

If you don’t address your speaking errors at this stage, they’ll turn into deeply rooted patterns that are far more difficult to correct down the line.

Phrasal Verbs & Idioms

0 items

Synonyms & Antonyms

7 items

Synonyms

disregard

pay no attention

overlook

not notice or skip

dismiss

reject as unimportant

tune out

informal, stop listening

Antonyms

acknowledge

recognize or respond to

notice

become aware of

pay attention to

focus on