kufumbia
koo-foo-MBEE-ah
How to say it
Swahilikufumbiakoo-foo-MBEE-ahsoon
Englishto turn a blind eye to (kufumbia macho)soon
Frenchfermer les yeux sursoon
Meaning
To close one’s eyes on something; used almost only in kufumbia macho, to pretend not to see a wrong one should deal with.
Good to know
The applied form of kufumba, to close (the eyes, the hand). The thing ignored follows macho: kufumbia macho rushwa, to turn a blind eye to corruption.
Examples
- Viongozi hawapaswi kufumbia macho vitendo vya rushwa.Leaders should not turn a blind eye to corruption.
- Walimu walifumbia macho utoro wa wanafunzi.The teachers turned a blind eye to the pupils’ truancy.
- Jamii ikifumbia macho ukatili, utaendelea.If the community turns a blind eye to abuse, it will go on.
Not yet checked by a native speaker.