head in the sand
1 of 2phrase
—used to indicate the refusal to acknowledge or deal with something unpleasant
You can't just bury/have/hide your head in the sand when things go wrong.
: unwilling to recognize or acknowledge a problem or situation
the government's usual head-in-the-sand response
Examples of head in the sand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthew Aucoin, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
Probably a little more than the head-in-the-sand Democrats who cheer on her every media appearance might believe, but also not all that much more.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
What is clear, though, is that the head-in-the-sand approach used by many current founders isn’t a lasting solution.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 30 Sep. 2024
Considering that our organizations—and society at large—are aging at an accelerated pace, adopting a head-in-the-sand approach will prove increasingly detrimental.
—Dan Pontefract, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2024
But to say Starship will not be a game-changer represents the same head-in-the-sand attitude displayed by Bowles a decade ago with his jokes about not waking the deluded dreamers up.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 26 June 2024
Climate change has changed that — no matter what the head-in-the-sand types say.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 June 2024
Rather than prop up her parents as easy targets, Bartlett lays bare their contradictory humanity over a 44-year journey from wide-eyed idealism to head-in-the-sand egotism.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2024
Of course, sooner or later, these head-in-the-sand elites must face the reality that China’s rise is ending, especially as the post-investment-binge deflationary spiral begins to play out.
—Daniel Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2016
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Adjective
The stakes of these discussions—which have involved charges of Eurocentrism, head-in-the-sand elitism, even white supremacy—have at times felt existential, given many institutions’ financial straits.
—Matthew Aucoin, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
Probably a little more than the head-in-the-sand Democrats who cheer on her every media appearance might believe, but also not all that much more.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
What is clear, though, is that the head-in-the-sand approach used by many current founders isn’t a lasting solution.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 30 Sep. 2024
Considering that our organizations—and society at large—are aging at an accelerated pace, adopting a head-in-the-sand approach will prove increasingly detrimental.
—Dan Pontefract, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2024
But to say Starship will not be a game-changer represents the same head-in-the-sand attitude displayed by Bowles a decade ago with his jokes about not waking the deluded dreamers up.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 26 June 2024
Climate change has changed that — no matter what the head-in-the-sand types say.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 June 2024
Rather than prop up her parents as easy targets, Bartlett lays bare their contradictory humanity over a 44-year journey from wide-eyed idealism to head-in-the-sand egotism.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2024
Of course, sooner or later, these head-in-the-sand elites must face the reality that China’s rise is ending, especially as the post-investment-binge deflationary spiral begins to play out.
—Daniel Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2016
Cite this Entry
“Head in the sand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/head%20in%20the%20sand. Accessed 12 Dec. 2025.
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