Look | Mean of look in English Dictionary

/ˈlʊk/

• Verb
• to direct your eyes in a particular direction
1. He looked straight ahead and kept walking.
2. When you take a walk, look around you.
3. She smiled at me and then looked away.
4. He looked back the way he had come.
5. Look both ways before you cross the street.
6. When I finally reached the top I was afraid to look down.
7. She looked from one person to the next.
8. Look in the mirror/box.
9. They looked off into the distance.
10. He was looking over his shoulder.
11. She looked longingly at the photograph.
12. “What are you looking at?” “I'm looking at this flower.”
13. looking at the stars through a telescope = looking through a telescope at the stars
• to seem to be something especially because of appearance
1. He looks angry.
2. Her new haircut makes her look young/younger.
3. That cake looks delicious.
4. “How does the situation look (to you) now?” “It looks pretty bad/good.”
5. It looks dangerous/unlikely.
6. a kind-looking woman = a woman who looks kind
7. The child looked to be about seven years old.
8. The once-famous star looks to be heading into obscurity.
9. The year ahead looks to be a profitable one. [=it appears likely to be profitable; I/we expect it to be profitable]
10. It looks like it will be hard work.
11. It looks like it will rain/snow. = It looks like rain/snow.
12. It looks to me like they're all the same. = It looks like they're all the same to me. = They look like they're all the same to me.
13. It looked as though he was feeling ill. = He looked as though he was feeling ill.
14. It looks like she's going to win the tournament again this year. = She looks like she's going to win the tournament again this year. = (Brit) She looks like winning the tournament again this year. [=she seems likely to win the tournament again this year]
15. He looks like a nice man. = (Brit) He looks a nice man. [=he seems/appears to be a nice man]
• to have an appearance that is suitable for (something)
1. She looks her age. [=her appearance shows her age]
2. an actor who really looks the part [=whose appearance matches the appearance the character is supposed to have]

• to try to find something or someone
1. “I don't know where my keys are.” “Try looking in the drawer.”
2. I've looked high and low. = I've looked everywhere. = I've looked all over.
3. “I still haven't found my keys.” “Well, keep looking.”
4. “I'm still trying to find my keys.” “Well, look no further —here they are.”
• to pay attention by directing your eyes at something
1. You can see many wonderful things in nature if you take the time to stop and look.
2. The store clerk asked if I needed any help, but I told him I was just looking. [=I was looking at the things being sold in the store but did not plan to buy anything specific]
• to want or try to do something
1. a company looking to become a leader in the industry
2. We're looking to create something new.
• to expect something
1. We look to have a good year. = We are looking to have a good year.
• to have a specified direction
1. The house looks east.
2. The hotel looks toward the sea.
• to take care of (someone or something)
1. They hired a babysitter to look after the children.
2. I can look after myself.
3. He looks after his aging parents.
4. They asked a friend to look after their house while they were away.
• to think about what will happen in the future
1. The past year has been successful and, looking ahead, we expect to do even better in the coming months.
2. Looking ahead to next year, we expect to be even more successful.
• to go through a place in order to see what is there
1. We arrived early at the theater and spent a few minutes looking around.
2. The kids looked around the shops while we unpacked.
• to search for (something)
1. I looked around for my keys but I couldn't find them anywhere.
2. He is looking around for a new car.
• to think about or consider (something or someone)
1. Just look at how successful she's been.
2. The company is looking at the possibility of moving to a larger office.
3. I just haven't looked at him as (being) a potential roommate.
4. The way I look at [=see] it, you're wrong.
5. Some people are looking at her as a possible candidate for mayor.
6. You can make changes in your life. Just look at Tim. [=consider that Tim has made changes and realize that you can also make changes]
• to examine or study (someone or something)
1. You should have a doctor look at that bruise.
2. I had the veterinarian look at my cat.
• to have (something bad or unpleasant) as a problem or possibility
1. If you're found guilty, you could be looking at [=facing] five years in prison.
• to read (something or part of something)
1. I haven't looked at [=read] the newspaper today.
2. Did you look at that fax yet?
• to think about something in the past
1. Looking back to/at last season, I can see why they didn't win the pennant.
2. I look back at/on that time with a lot of pride. [=I feel proud when I think about that time]
3. After college, she moved to New York, got a job on Wall Street, and never looked back.
• to think or learn about the possible bad results of an action before doing it
1. If you're planning to invest in your friend's company, I advise you to look before you leap.
• to think of or treat (someone or something) as unimportant or not worthy of respect
1. The family was looked down on for being different.
2. The other children looked down on me because my parents were poor.
• to try to find (someone or something)
1. We had to wait while he looked for his keys.
2. I've looked everywhere for my keys but I still can't find them.
3. She's looking for a new job.
4. look for a word in the dictionary
5. The police continue to look for the escaped prisoners.
6. His taste is—what's the word I'm looking for?—I know, “eclectic.”
• to expect (something or someone)
1. We're looking for better days in the future.
2. Don't bother looking for me anytime too soon.
3. You can look for me to arrive around noon.
4. Economists are looking for the economy to improve in the next few months.
• to act in a way that could cause violence or problems
1. I could tell that he was looking for trouble as soon as he came in.
• to expect (something) with pleasure
1. They're looking forward to their vacation.
2. He felt he had nothing to look forward to in his life.
3. She's looking forward to meeting new friends.
• to make a brief social visit to (someone)
1. I plan to look in on [=drop in on, call on] some old friends when I'm in town.
• to try to get information about (something)
1. Is there a problem? I could look into it.
2. Investigators are looking into the cause of the accident.
• to have an appearance that is very similar to (someone or something)
1. You look just like your mother! [=you resemble your mother very closely]
2. That powdered sugar looks like snow.
• to watch something as it happens without becoming involved
1. A crowd of people looked on [=stood by] helplessly as the house burned to the ground.
• to think of or consider (someone or something) in a specified way
1. I've always looked on her as a friend. [=considered her to be a friend]
2. They looked on reading as an escape from the troubles of life.
3. He looked upon his son's accomplishments with pride.
• to succeed in finding (something)
1. It may take me a while to look out [=hunt down] his phone number for you.
• to be aware of and try to avoid (something dangerous or unwanted)
1. In the winter, drivers need to look out for icy patches on the roads.
2. In buying a home, there are many potential problems (that) you should look out for.
3. Look out for [=watch out for] that pothole!
• to take care of or protect (someone or something)
1. I can look out for myself.
2. She is supposed to be looking out for our interests.
3. We don't want a senator who's (only/always) looking out for number one.
• to read or examine (something) usually in a quick or hurried way
1. She looked over the plans on her way out of the office.
2. He looked over his shopping list as he entered the store.
3. look a proposal over
• to look directly at (someone who is also looking at you)
1. I wasn't afraid to look him (right) in the eye and tell him just what I thought of him!
• to ignore something that should be noticed or dealt with
1. We can't just look the other way while these violations of basic human rights continue to occur.
2. Residents of the neighborhood accuse police of looking the other way as drug dealers become more active there.
• to read or briefly examine some of the pages of (a book, magazine, etc.)
1. She was looking [=leafing] through a magazine as she waited in the doctor's office.
2. look through the pages of a magazine
• to look at the different parts of (a collection or group of things)
1. I looked through [=went through] all his letters.
• to pretend not to see or recognize (someone) in a rude or unfriendly way
1. We used to be best friends but when she passed me on the street yesterday she looked (right/straight) through me without even saying hello!
• to think about or examine (something)
1. They look to the future with ever-increasing hope.
2. We can look to the past for help in figuring out how to deal with this problem.
3. look to nature for inspiration
• to need (someone) to do something for or give something to you
1. They look to me to fix the problem.
2. Many parents look to their children to help them navigate the Internet.
3. Many parents look to their children for help in navigating the Internet.
4. She looked to her friends for help.
5. They look to you for advice.
• to get better
1. The economy is looking up.
2. Things started to look up for me when I got the promotion.
• to search for (something) in a reference book, on the Internet, etc.
1. If you don't know what a word means, you should look it up (in the dictionary).
2. look up a telephone number
3. look up an article in the encyclopedia
• to call or go to see (someone) when you are in the area where that person lives
1. I told them to look me up if they came to town.
• to respect and admire (someone)
1. I've always looked up to my older brother.
2. The kids really look up to their coach.
• not physically attractive
1. The restaurant isn't much to look at, but the food is good.
2. The dog isn't much to look at, but he's a great hunting dog.
• Noun
• the act of looking at something
1. A quick look inside someone's refrigerator can tell you a lot about that person.
2. Come on inside. Take a look around.
3. She went inside the building to have a look around.
4. I wanted to get a look inside the car's engine.
5. Just take/have a look at this!
6. It's our first chance to get a look at the new library.
7. The witness wasn't able to describe the killer because she didn't get a good look at him. [=she didn't see him clearly]
8. We took one look at the weather and decided to stay home. [=when we saw how bad the weather was we immediately decided to stay home]
• the act of examining or considering something
1. movies that are worth a look [=movies that you should consider seeing because they are good, entertaining, etc.]
2. The report takes a close/revealing/hard look at the public school system.
3. We need to take a closer look at these issues.
• the act of trying to find something or someone
1. I don't think you left it here, but I'll take a look around for it.
2. I took a quick look, but he wasn't there.
• the emotions and feelings that can be seen in a person's face or eyes
1. You should have seen the look [=expression] on her face!
2. I'll never forget the look in her eyes.
3. a look of jealousy/pride/remorse
4. He gave me an angry/dirty look.
5. They exchanged looks of love. [=they looked at each other lovingly]
6. I've never seen her so angry. If looks could kill, I'd be dead right now.
• a quality or characteristic that you can see when you look at something
1. The painting has an old-fashioned look to it.
2. The building had the look [=appearance] of a fortress.
3. a fabric that has the look of leather [=a fabric that has the same appearance as leather]
4. Judging by/from the look of those clouds, we're going to get some rain.
5. I don't like the look of those clouds. [=I don't like the way those clouds look; those clouds make me think that there will be a storm, it will rain or snow, etc.]
6. The restaurant doesn't look very appealing, but looks can be deceiving/deceptive. [=something can be very different from how it seems or appears to be]
7. From the look of things, that car won't last much longer. [=that car seems unlikely to last much longer]
• physical appearance
1. Everyone says he's handsome, but I wasn't impressed by his looks.
• attractive physical appearance
1. She's very pretty, but she's not going to get by just on her looks.
2. He had boyish good looks.
3. She's worried about losing her looks [=becoming less attractive] as she grows older.
• a style or fashion
1. a new look in women's fashion
2. They wanted the right look for the company's new logo.