To look away or avert one's gaze (from something unpleasant or distressing).
事故の現場で多くの人が目を背けた。
Many people looked away at the scene of the accident.
痛々しい光景に彼は思わず目を背けた。
He involuntarily turned his eyes away from the painful sight.
子どもの泣き声に耐えられず、周囲の人が目を背けた。
Unable to bear the child's crying, people around looked away.
Figuratively, to ignore or disregard a problem or fact — to pretend not to see it.
問題から目を背けずに、まずは原因を調べよう。
Let's not look away from the problem; first investigate the cause.
会社は環境問題に目を背けるべきではない。
The company shouldn't ignore environmental issues.
彼は借金の事実に長い間目を背けていた。
He had been ignoring the fact of his debts for a long time.
Used idiomatically to mean turning away from or escaping reality or an unpleasant situation.
彼女は辛い記憶から目を背けて別のことに没頭している。
She is turning away from painful memories and immersing herself in other things.
現実から目を背けるのではなく、一緒に解決策を考えよう。
Rather than turning away from reality, let's think of solutions together.