don't want to know

idiom
UK: /dəʊnt wɒnt tə nəʊ/
US: /doʊnt wɑːnt tə noʊ/

  1. To refuse to learn about something, often because it is unpleasant or difficult.

    1. I just don't want to know what happened at the party. [ ] [ ]
    2. Some people don't want to know the truth about the company's financial problems. [ ] [ ]

  2. To deliberately ignore or avoid something, especially problems or bad news.

    1. They don't want to know about the risks involved in the project. [ ] [ ]
    2. I suspect they don't want to know how much sugar is in that processed food. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

avoid shun ignore disregard
don't want to know verb

  1. To choose not to be informed about a particular matter; to prefer ignorance.

    1. I don't want to know the score; I'll watch the game later. [ ] [ ]
    2. Many voters simply don't want to know the details of the candidates' past failures. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "don't want to know" in English means: To refuse to learn about something, often because it is unpleasant or difficult., To deliberately ignore or avoid something, especially problems or bad news..

The phonetic transcription of "don't want to know" is /dəʊnt wɒnt tə nəʊ/ in British English and /doʊnt wɑːnt tə noʊ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "don't want to know": avoid, shun, ignore, disregard.

Example usage of "don't want to know": "I just don't want to know what happened at the party.". More examples on the page.