bury one's head in the sand

verb

To deliberately ignore the reality of a situation; to pretend a problem does not exist.

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Meanings

verbbury one's head in the sand (third-person singular simple present buries one's head in the sand, present participle burying one's head in the sand, simple past and past participle buried one's head in the sand)

present singular third person buries one's head in the sand · participle present burying one's head in the sand · participle past buried one's head in the sand · past buried one's head in the sand

  1. idiomaticTo deliberately ignore the reality of a situation; to pretend a problem does not exist.

    Now this doubtness is an unhappy state of affairs to the lover of the steam locomotive, but we cannot, like the proverbial ostrich, bury our heads in the sand and refuse to face facts.

    1950 January, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 13

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
put one's head in the sandstick one's head in the sand

Origin

A reference to the imagined habit of the ostrich burying its head when threatened. See also head in the sand.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 採取鴕鳥政策 /采取鸵鸟政策
  • 採取鴕鳥政策 /采取鸵鸟政策 (cǎiqǔ tuóniǎo zhèngcè)to deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Dutch de kop in het zand steken
  • de kop in het zand stekento deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Finnish pistää päänsä pensaaseen
  • pistää päänsä pensaaseento deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
French faire l'autruche, se voiler la face
  • faire l'autrucheto deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
  • se voiler la faceto deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
German den Kopf in den Sand stecken
  • den Kopf in den Sand steckento deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Hebrew טָמַן רֹאשׁוֹ בַּחוֹל
  • טָמַן רֹאשׁוֹ בַּחוֹל (tamán roshó baḥól)to deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Hungarian homokba dugja a fejét
  • homokba dugja a fejétto deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Italian nascondere la testa sotto la sabbia, fare finta di niente
  • nascondere la testa sotto la sabbiato deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
  • fare finta di nienteto deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
  • fare come lo struzzoto deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Korean 눈 가리고 아웅
  • 눈 가리고 아웅 (nun garigo aung)to deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Norwegian Bokmål stikke hodet i sanden, strutse
  • stikke hodet i sandento deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
  • strutseto deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Polish chować głowę w piasek, schować głowę w piasek
  • chować głowę w piasekto deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
  • schować głowę w piasekto deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Romanian se ascunde după deget
  • se ascunde după degetto deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Russian пря́тать го́лову в песо́к
  • пря́тать го́лову в песо́к (prjátatʹ gólovu v pesók)to deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Spanish tapar el sol con un dedo
  • tapar el sol con un dedoto deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Swedish sticka huvudet i sanden
  • sticka huvudet i sandento deliberately ignore the reality of a situation
Cite this entry
APA

bury one's head in the sand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bury%20one's%20head%20in%20the%20sand

MLA

“bury one's head in the sand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bury%20one's%20head%20in%20the%20sand. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bury one's head in the sand,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bury%20one's%20head%20in%20the%20sand.

Source: bury one's head in the sand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.