50 Idioms for Ignoring Someone and Cold Shoulders

Idioms are fun word phrases that mean something different than the actual words say. People use them to make talking and writing more colorful and exciting. In this article, you will learn fifty fun idioms related to ignoring someone.

In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms that mean shutting someone out, giving cold treatment, and paying no attention. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.

Idioms for Ignoring Someone

1. Give the cold shoulder

Definition: To deliberately ignore or act unfriendly toward another person.

Used in a Sentence: She was upset with her classmate and decided to give him the cold shoulder all day. / He felt sad when his best friend gave him the cold shoulder at recess.

Similar Expressions: Shun someone / Shut out

2. Turn a blind eye

Definition: To intentionally refuse to notice or ignore something happening right in front of you.

Used in a Sentence: The teacher decided to turn a blind eye to the whispering during quiet reading time. / You cannot just turn a blind eye when rules are being broken.

Similar Expressions: Ignore on purpose / Look away

3. Turn a deaf ear

Definition: To refuse to listen to someone who is asking for your attention or help.

Used in a Sentence: He turned a deaf ear to his brother’s complaints about the messy room. / She turned a deaf ear when they asked her to join the boring game.

Similar Expressions: Refuse to listen / Ignore pleas

4. Give someone the brush-off

Definition: To rudely dismiss or ignore someone who is trying to talk to you.

Used in a Sentence: When he asked to play basketball, the older boys gave him the brush-off. / She felt hurt when her friend gave her the brush-off in the hallway.

Similar Expressions: Brush aside / Dismiss rudely

5. Leave out in the cold

Definition: To exclude someone from a group or conversation completely.

Used in a Sentence: Choosing teams for soccer can sometimes leave someone out in the cold. / Do not leave your new classmate out in the cold during lunch.

Similar Expressions: Exclude someone / Shut out

6. Give the silent treatment

Definition: To refuse to speak or communicate with someone as a sign of anger.

Used in a Sentence: After their silly argument, the sisters gave each other the silent treatment. / Giving the silent treatment solves nothing when working in a group.

Similar Expressions: Refuse to talk / Stop speaking

7. Look right through someone

Definition: To look at a person as if they are invisible and not even there.

Used in a Sentence: He walked past his old pal and looked right through him without a word. / She looked right through me when I waved hello in the cafeteria.

Similar Expressions: Treat as invisible / Ignore completely

8. Cold fish

Definition: A person who shows no warm emotions, friendliness, or attention to others.

Used in a Sentence: The new store manager acted like a cold fish when we said hello. / Do not be a cold fish when people try to make friends with you.

Similar Expressions: Unfriendly person / Aloof soul

9. Shoulder someone off

Definition: To push someone away mentally or physically by ignoring their presence.

Used in a Sentence: He tried to talk about the puzzle, but she tried to shoulder him off. / Ignoring your teammates is like trying to shoulder them off.

Similar Expressions: Push away / Dismiss peer

10. Give the runaround

Definition: To ignore direct questions by sending someone away with vague answers.

Used in a Sentence: The ticket office gave us the runaround when we asked about show times. / Stop giving me the runaround and answer my question clearly.

Similar Expressions: Evade questions / Send away

11. Keep at arm’s length

Definition: To avoid getting close to someone and keep them ignored socially.

Used in a Sentence: She decided to keep the gossiping classmate at arm’s length. / It is smart to keep dishonest people at arm’s length.

Similar Expressions: Stay distant / Keep away

12. Turn your back on

Definition: To refuse to look at or help someone who needs your attention.

Used in a Sentence: A good friend would never turn their back on someone in trouble. / He chose to turn his back on the silly argument.

Similar Expressions: Abandon someone / Walk away

13. Cut someone dead

Definition: To ignore someone completely on purpose, acting as if they do not exist.

Used in a Sentence: She was so angry that she cut him dead when he said hello. / Cutting someone dead is a very unkind way to show frustration.

Similar Expressions: Ignore utterly / Shun completely

14. Give someone the freeze

Definition: To act extremely cold and distant toward someone to ignore them.

Used in a Sentence: The team captain gave the new player the freeze after a bad pass. / She felt the freeze when nobody answered her questions.

Similar Expressions: Freeze out / Act icy

15. Blow someone off

Definition: To casually ignore plans or refuse to give someone your time.

Used in a Sentence: He promised to help with homework, but then he just blew me off. / Do not blow off your friends when they ask for help.

Similar Expressions: Dismiss casually / Cancel on

16. Shut the door on

Definition: To refuse all communication or future chances with someone.

Used in a Sentence: He shut the door on any further discussion about the messy room. / Closing your mind to advice is shutting the door on learning.

Similar Expressions: Close off / Refuse entry

17. Pass by on the other side

Definition: To deliberately ignore someone in need of help and walk past them.

Used in a Sentence: When the papers spilled, he decided to pass by on the other side. / Never pass by on the other side when a classmate drops books.

Similar Expressions: Walk past / Ignore trouble

18. Give a wide berth

Definition: To stay far away from someone and avoid interacting with them.

Used in a Sentence: We gave the angry dog a wide berth while walking in the park. / It is best to give a grumpy person a wide berth.

Similar Expressions: Stay away / Avoid contact

19. Tune out

Definition: To stop listening and completely ignore what someone is saying.

Used in a Sentence: I started to tune out during the long lecture about history facts. / Wearing headphones helps you tune out distracting noises.

Similar Expressions: Stop listening / Ignore sound

20. Fall on deaf ears

Definition: When advice or requests are spoken to someone who ignores them completely.

Used in a Sentence: My reminders to clean the desk fell on deaf ears. / Asking him to lower his voice often falls on deaf ears.

Similar Expressions: Ignored plea / Unheard request

21. Ghost someone

Definition: To suddenly stop answering all messages and ignore someone entirely.

Used in a Sentence: It hurts when a friend decides to ghost you without any explanation. / Do not ghost people when they ask you a simple question.

Similar Expressions: Disappear on / Stop replying

22. Give the brush

Definition: To push someone away with an abrupt and ignoring attitude.

Used in a Sentence: She gave him the brush when he asked about borrowing a pencil. / Getting the brush made him walk away feeling confused.

Similar Expressions: Dismiss fast / Push aside

23. Close your ears

Definition: To physically or mentally block out what someone is trying to tell you.

Used in a Sentence: He put his hands over his head to close his ears to the noise. / Do not close your ears when the teacher gives helpful tips.

Similar Expressions: Block sound / Refuse hearing

24. Look the other way

Definition: To pretend you do not see a problem or a person needing help.

Used in a Sentence: She looked the other way when the crayons rolled under the desk. / You cannot just look the other way when rules are broken.

Similar Expressions: Ignore problem / Pretend blindness

25. Play opossum

Definition: To pretend you are asleep or unaware so you can ignore someone.

Used in a Sentence: My little brother played opossum on the couch when it was chore time. / The puppy played opossum instead of coming inside.

Similar Expressions: Play dead / Pretend sleep

26. Shut out

Definition: To block someone from entering your group or conversation.

Used in a Sentence: The older kids shut out the younger students from the game. / Building walls around your feelings will shut out good friends.

Similar Expressions: Exclude / Bar entry

27. Give a blank stare

Definition: To look at someone with zero expression, showing you are ignoring their words.

Used in a Sentence: When I asked the hard question, he just gave a blank stare. / Giving a blank stare does not help anyone understand the problem.

Similar Expressions: Blank look / Expressionless gaze

28. Give the cold shoulder treatment

Definition: A longer period of ignoring someone and refusing to be friendly.

Used in a Sentence: She subjected her brother to the cold shoulder treatment all afternoon. / Nobody enjoys receiving the cold shoulder treatment from pals.

Similar Expressions: Prolonged ignoring / Icy behavior

29. Lock someone out

Definition: To bar someone from a room or conversation as a form of exclusion.

Used in a Sentence: They forgot to lock someone out, so I joined the club meeting. / Exclusionary behavior can lock someone out of feeling welcome.

Similar Expressions: Bar access / Exclude person

30. Freeze out

Definition: To deliberately push someone out of a social circle by ignoring them.

Used in a Sentence: The clique tried to freeze out new members who wanted to join. / Trying to freeze out classmates is unkind and hurtful.

Similar Expressions: Ostracize / Exclude socially

31. Give short shrift

Definition: To deal with someone quickly and dismissively without paying attention.

Used in a Sentence: The manager gave short shrift to the customer’s simple complaint. / Do not give short shrift to your partner’s ideas in art class.

Similar Expressions: Dismiss quickly / Ignore value

32. Pay no mind

Definition: To completely disregard what someone is saying or doing.

Used in a Sentence: Pay no mind to silly rumors whispered on the playground. / She told herself to pay no mind to the noisy hallway.

Similar Expressions: Disregard / Ignore totally

33. Turn a blind eye to trouble

Definition: Intentionally ignoring bad behavior instead of fixing it.

Used in a Sentence: Adults should never turn a blind eye to trouble in the schoolyard. / He turned a blind eye to trouble when the fence broke.

Similar Expressions: Ignore bad deeds / Overlook faults

34. Brush under the carpet

Definition: To ignore a problem and pretend it never happened at all.

Used in a Sentence: You cannot just brush mistakes under the carpet and hope they vanish. / Sweeping issues away is like brushing them under the carpet.

Similar Expressions: Hide problem / Ignore mess

35. Give the back of your hand

Definition: An old phrase for dismissing someone dismissively and unkindly.

Used in a Sentence: He gave the back of his hand to anyone asking silly questions. / Dismissing friends rudely feels like showing the back of the hand.

Similar Expressions: Harshly dismiss / Reject rudely

36. Give zero attention

Definition: To invest no focus or acknowledgment into a person’s words.

Used in a Sentence: The loud speaker received zero attention from the distracted crowd. / Smart students give zero attention to classroom distractions.

Similar Expressions: Ignore completely / Disregard totally

37. Give the silent treatment for days

Definition: Refusing to speak to a friend or family member for a long time.

Used in a Sentence: They let their argument linger and gave the silent treatment for days. / Holding a grudge by giving the silent treatment is exhausting.

Similar Expressions: Long silence / Stubborn ignoring

38. Brush off a question

Definition: To ignore a direct inquiry with a wave of your hand.

Used in a Sentence: He tried to brush off a question about where he hid the ball. / She brushed off a question regarding her missing homework.

Similar Expressions: Dismiss query / Ignore inquiry

39. Walk right past

Definition: To ignore a person standing near you by walking without a greeting.

Used in a Sentence: He was so focused on his phone that he walked right past me. / She saw me sitting on the bench and walked right past.

Similar Expressions: Ignore presence / Pass by

40. Keep your distance

Definition: To stay physically and socially removed from someone you wish to ignore.

Used in a Sentence: When he acts grumpy, it is best to keep your distance. / She decided to keep her distance from the messy argument.

Similar Expressions: Stay away / Avoid person

41. Put on mute

Definition: A modern metaphor for ignoring someone talking in real life.

Used in a Sentence: Sometimes you wish you could put on mute annoying noises around you. / He joked that his noisy brother was put on mute.

Similar Expressions: Silence person / Stop hearing

42. Look away

Definition: To move your eyes so you do not have to see or acknowledge someone.

Used in a Sentence: She decided to look away when the teacher called on volunteers. / He had to look away so he would not laugh at the joke.

Similar Expressions: Avoid gaze / Turn eyes

43. Give the cold treatment

Definition: Treating someone with chilly indifference and active neglect.

Used in a Sentence: After losing the game, the coach gave the team the cold treatment. / She felt hurt receiving the cold treatment from her best pal.

Similar Expressions: Icy neglect / Cold shoulder

44. Pretend not to notice

Definition: To act as though a person or event happening near you does not exist.

Used in a Sentence: I had to pretend not to notice my surprise party preparations. / She pretended not to notice when he dropped his pencil.

Similar Expressions: Act oblivious / Ignore on purpose

45. Give a stony stare

Definition: Staring at someone with hard, cold eyes that show complete disregard.

Used in a Sentence: The angry referee gave a stony stare to the arguing player. / She answered his question with a stony stare.

Similar Expressions: Hard look / Icy glare

46. Give the cold shoulder and walk away

Definition: Combining active exclusion with physical departure to ignore someone.

Used in a Sentence: He gave the cold shoulder and walked away from the discussion. / She gave the cold shoulder and walked away when insults started.

Similar Expressions: Shun and leave / Cold exit

47. Drop the subject

Definition: To demand that an ongoing topic of conversation be ignored immediately.

Used in a Sentence: Mom told us to drop the subject when we argued over chores. / He wanted to drop the subject before tempers flared.

Similar Expressions: End talk / Stop discussing

48. Push to the side

Definition: To ignore someone’s input and treat their ideas as unimportant.

Used in a Sentence: Do not push your partner’s good ideas to the side during projects. / He felt pushed to the side when nobody listened.

Similar Expressions: Dismiss input / Ignore ideas

49. Give a cold reply

Definition: Answering someone with brief, unfriendly words to discourage chatting.

Used in a Sentence: When I said hello, he offered a cold reply and kept walking. / Her cold reply showed she did not want to talk.

Similar Expressions: Unfriendly answer / Curt response

50. Pay no heed

Definition: To completely disregard warnings or greetings from another person.

Used in a Sentence: He told us to pay no heed to the creaking floorboards. / She decided to pay no heed to the silly rumors.

Similar Expressions: Ignore warning / Disregard completely

Exercise to Practice

1. She was upset with her classmate and decided to give him the cold shoulder all day.
2. The teacher decided to turn a blind eye to the whispering while flying a spaceship to Mars.
3. He walked past his old pal and looked right through him without a word.
4. After their silly argument, the sisters gave each other the silent treatment.
5. He promised to help with homework, but then he just blew me off while painting his dog purple.
6. When the papers spilled, he decided to pass by on the other side.
7. She tried to brush off a question about where he hid the ball while swimming in outer space.
8. My little brother played opossum on the couch when it was chore time.
9. Adults should never turn a blind eye to trouble in the schoolyard.
10. He joked that his noisy brother was put on mute while turning into a tree.
11. She saw me sitting on the bench and walked right past.
12. The angry referee gave a stony stare to the arguing player while baking a chocolate cake.
13. He wanted to drop the subject before tempers flared.
14. She decided to pay no heed to the silly rumors.
15. When I said hello, he offered a cold reply and kept walking while melting into ice cream.

Answer Key

1. True
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. False
6. True
7. True
8. True
9. True
10. False
11. True
12. False
13. True
14. True
15. False

Conclusion

Learning these idioms helps you describe social interactions and cold treatments in a colorful and fun way. When you use creative words, your stories and talks about relationships become much more engaging.

Try using one or two of these expressions the next time you write a story at school or describe character actions. You will see how exciting it is to bring your everyday language to life!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some common idioms for ignoring someone?

Some popular idioms for ignoring someone include give the cold shoulder, turn a blind eye, and give the silent treatment. People use these expressions to talk about excluding peers, shutting people out, and acting unfriendly in daily life.

Why do we use idioms in English?

Idioms make our language much more colorful and interesting than plain words alone. They help us share feelings and pictures in our minds quickly and clearly.

How can I learn more idioms easily?

You can learn new idioms by reading fun stories, listening to how people talk, and practicing them in your own sentences. Writing down your favorite phrases in a notebook is also a great way to remember them.

Are idioms used in everyday speech?

Yes, people use idioms every day when talking with friends, family, and classmates. They help make ordinary conversations sound lively and engaging.

Can idioms have more than one meaning?

Most idioms have one main accepted meaning, but people can use them in different fun contexts. Always check the definition and sample sentences to make sure you use the phrase correctly.