Phrasal verb look: variety of combinations and meanings. LOOK and company to look forward to - look forward to, anticipate
The difficulty with phrasal verbs is that one small word completely changes the meaning of the expression. Moreover, without knowing them, it is very difficult to guess how to use them.
In the article we will talk about the popular verb look and what meanings it acquires, being a phrasal verb.
15 meanings of the phrasal verb look in English
So this phrasal verb is used like this:
1. Phrasal verb look around/round
Translation: Look around, look around
Meaning: Look at what's around/visit something
I would like to look around here.
I'd like to take a look around here.
Look around you. What do you see?
Look around. What do you see?
2. Phrasal verb look after
Translation: Keep an eye on someone
Meaning: Caring about someone, worrying about someone
She looks after her grandfather
She looks after her grandfather.
We will look after children.
We'll look after the children.
3. Phrasal verb look ahead
Translation: Plan, foresee, provide
Meaning: Thinking about or planning about what will happen in the future
She looked ahead a travel
She was planning a trip.
He always tries to look ahead problems.
He always tries to anticipate problems.
4. Phrasal verb look at
Translation: 1. Look at someone, look (read) 2. Think about something, think about it
Meaning: 1. Study something or someone with your eyes 2. Think carefully about something to make a decision
Look at the blackboard, please.
Look at the board, please.
She will look at the proposal.
She will consider this proposal.
5. Phrasal verb look back
Translation: Remember, go back to the past, look back
Meaning: Return your thoughts to past events
He looked back on his childhood.
He recalled his childhood.
Never lookback on past.
Never look back to the past.
6. Phrasal verb look down (on)
Translation: Look down on, look down on
Meaning: Thinking that someone is less important than you
He looks down on his sister.
He looks down on his sister.
Don't look down on others.
Don't look down on others.
7. Phrasal verb look for
Translation: Search, look for
Meaning: Trying to find something or someone
He wasn't looking for you.
He was looking for you.
I am looking for my phone.
I'm looking for my phone.
8. Phrasal verb look forward to
Translation: Look forward to something
Meaning: Feeling happy and excited about what's about to happen
They look forward to their holidays.
They are looking forward to their holidays.
I look forward to our meeting.
I'm looking forward to our meeting.
9. Phrasal verb look in (on)
Translation: Look in, visit someone
Meaning: Come to someone for a while
They looked in to see us.
They stopped by to see us.
We will look in on you tomorrow.
We'll see you tomorrow.
10. Phrasal verb look into
Translation: Explore, consider, study
Meaning: Study some facts, things, situation
We will look into these problems.
We are exploring these issues.
I will lookinto this issue.
I will look into this issue.
11. Phrasal verb look on
Meaning: 1. Look at what is happening, but do not participate in it 2. View someone in a certain way in relation to yourself
She looked on their game.
She watched them play.
I look on him as a good friend.
I consider him a good friend.
12. Phrasal verb look out for
Translation: Look out for someone/something, search (with the eyes)
Meaning: Trying to notice someone or something
She tried to look out for him.
She tried to look out for him.
Lookoutfor Mary.
Look for Mary.
13. Phrasal verb look over (through)
Translation: Quickly view, check
Meaning: Learn something quickly
We look over the papers.
We are reviewing these papers.
Will you look over my report?
Will you check my report?
14. Phrasal verb look up
Translation: Look for something
Meaning: Try to find information
Look up the trains in the timetable.
Look for trains on the schedule.
I will look up the word in a dictionary.
I'll look up this word in the dictionary.
15. Phrasal verb look up to
Translation: Respect, admire
Meaning: Show respect to someone
He looks up to his parents.
He respects his parents.
A lot of people look up to you.
A lot of people admire you.
So, we looked at 15 meanings of the phrasal verb look. Now let's practice using it.
Reinforcement task
Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments.
1. She will look after her younger sister.
2. Look at these photographs.
3. I'm looking for my glasses.
4. We are looking forward to the weekend.
5. He admires his father.
More meanings of the word and translation of LOOK OUT FOR from English into Russian in English-Russian dictionaries.
What is and the translation of LOOK OUT FOR from Russian into English in Russian-English dictionaries.
More meanings of this word and English-Russian, Russian-English translations for LOOK OUT FOR in dictionaries.
- LOOK OUT FOR - If you look out for something, you pay attention to things so that you notice it if or when it ...
- LOOK OUT FOR — If you ~ something, you pay attention to things so that you notice it if or when it occurs. Look...
- LOOK OUT FOR
Slang English vocab - LOOK OUT FOR - (v. phr.) To watch out for; be on the alert. * /There were signs along the highway warning drivers to ...
Dictionary of English Idioms - LOOK OUT FOR
English Idioms vocab - LOOK OUT FOR - watch, protect, look after Please look out for your sister. She needs your protection.
English Idioms vocabulary - LOOK OUT FOR - v. phr. To watch out for; be on the alert. There were signs along the highway warning drivers to look …
American Idioms English vocabulary - LOOK OUT FOR - Keep watch
British English-Russian Dictionary - LOOK OUT FOR - take care of; keep an eye on, keep an eye on; take a closer look at
English-Russian Dictionary of English Idioms - OUT
- OUT — I. |au̇t, usu |au̇d.+V adverb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ūt; akin to Old High German ūz out, Old …
- LOOK — I. ˈlu̇k verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Middle English looken, loken, from Old English lōcian; akin to Middle Dutch loeken…
Webster's New International English Dictionary - FOR — I. fə(r), (|)fȯ(ə)r, (|)fȯ(ə), in R speech in the southern US also (|)fär preposition Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; ...
Webster's New International English Dictionary - OUT - /owt/, adv. 1. away from, or not in, the normal or usual place, position, state, etc.: out of alphabetical …
- LOOK - /look/, v.i. 1. to turn one's eyes towards something or in some direction in order to see: He looked ...
Random House Webster's Unabridged English Dictionary - OUT — I. ˈau̇t adverb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ūt; akin to Old High German ūz out, Greek hysteros later, …
- LOOK - I. ˈlu̇k verb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English lōcian; akin to Old Saxon lōcōn to look Date: before 12th …
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary - OUT - vt to come out with; to make known. 2. out vi to come or go out; to get out or...
Webster English vocab - LOOK - vt to expect. 2. look vt to express or manifest by a look. 3. look vt to look at; to...
Webster English vocab - OUT-
- LOOK - vb vt (bef. 12c) 1: to make sure or ...
Merriam-Webster English vocab - OUT
- LOOK - /lʊk; NAmE / verb, noun, exclamation ■ verb USE EYES 1. [v] look (at sb/sth) …
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - OUT
- LOOK - I. look 1 S1 W1 /lʊk/ BrE AmE verb [Language: Old English; Origin: local ] 1 . SEE...
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - FOR - I. for 1 S1 W1 /fə; strong fɔː $ fər strong fɔːr/ BrE AmE preposition [Language: Old English] …
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - OUT - adv., prep., n., adj., int., & v. --adv. 1 away from or not in or at a place etc. (keep...
- LOOK - v., n., & int. --v. 1 a intr. (often foll. by at) use one"s sight; turn one"s eyes in some...
English Basic Spoken Dictionary - OUT - adv., prep., n., adj., int., & v. adv. 1 away from or not in or at a place etc. (keep...
- LOOK - v., n., & int. v. 1 a intr. (often foll. by at) use one"s sight; turn one"s eyes in some...
Concise Oxford English Dictionary - OUT - adv., prep., n., adj., int., & v. --adv. 1. away from or not in or at a place etc. (keep...
Oxford English vocab - LOOK - v., n., & int. --v. 1.a intr. (often foll. by at) use one"s sight; turn one"s eyes in some...
Oxford English vocab - OUT
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - LOOK - I. USING YOUR EYES OR YOUR MIND /lʊk/ (looks, looking, looked) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 …
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - FOR - Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: In addition to the uses shown...
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - LOOK — I. USING YOUR EYES OR YOUR MIND (~s, ~ing, ~ed) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common …
Collins COBUILD - An English Dictionary for Language Learners - LOOK
Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary - FOR
Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary - LOOK — Synonyms and related words: NB, admire, air, angle, angle for, animadvert, anticipate, appear, appear like, appearance, ask for, aspect, …
Moby Thesaurus English vocabulary - LOOK - n. look at look upon look into look down look in look out look up side look good looking ill …
Collegiate Thesaurus English vocab - LOOK — I. noun 1 act of looking at/considering sth ADJECTIVE ▪ little ▪ brief , cursory , quick ▪ careful , …
Oxford Collocations English Dictionary - LOOK
- LOOK — See EXPRESSION ON SB"S FACE 1, LOOK 1,9,10, SEEM 1 ◆◆◆ . can"t look sb in …
Longman Activator English vocab - LOOK - n. 25B6; verb Mrs Wright looked at him: GLANCE, gaze, stare, gape, peer; peep, peek, take a look; watch...
Concise Oxford Thesaurus English vocabulary - LOOK - v. 1 Usually, look at. see, observe, consider, contemplate, regard, view, survey, inspect, scrutinize, study, scan; pay attention, attend, notice, …
Oxford Thesaurus English vocab - LOOK — I noun BAD: The report takes a close look on meat consumption. GOOD: The report takes a close …
Longman Common Errors English vocabulary - OUT
- LOOK - 1. noun. 1) a) look to have/take a look at ≈ to look at; get acquainted with to steal a look ≈ ...
Large English-Russian Dictionary - FOR - (full form); (reduced form) 1. conjunction 1) for; due to the fact that (introduces a subordinate reason) This is no party question, for ...
Large English-Russian Dictionary - OUT — 1. aʋt n 1. (the outs) pl parl. decomposition the opposition the ins and the outs - the government party and the opposition...
- LOOK - look.ogg 1. lʋk n 1. look kind scornful, angry, vacant look - kind contemptuous, angry, absent look to have /to ...
English-Russian-English dictionary of general vocabulary - Collection of the best dictionaries
look out for- (someone/something) 1. to feel responsible for someone or something. I have a network of neighbors who look out for each other and support each other. 2. to be aware of the existence of someone or something. Everybody thought I d win, but I… … New idioms dictionary
look out for- index care (be cautious) Burton's Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …Law dictionary
look out for- phrasal verb Word forms look out for: present tense I/you/we/they look out for he/she/it looks out for present participle looking out for past tense looked out for past participle looked out for 1) look out for someone /something to... ...English dictionary
look out for- 1) PHRASAL VERB If you look out for something, you pay attention to things so that you notice it if or when it occurs.
Look out for special deals... What are the symptoms to look out for? Syn: watch for 2) PHRASAL VERB If you... ... English dictionary look out for n°1 - If you take care of yourself first, and look after your own interests rather than those of other people, you look out for number one. Andy s father told him that looking out for number one should be his first priority …
look out for
look out for English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
- (v. phr.) To watch out for; be on the alert. * /There were signs along the highway warning drivers to look out for deer crossing./ … Dictionary of American idioms look\out\for - v. phr. To watch out for; be on the alert. There were signs along the highway warning drivers to look out for deer crossing …
look out for Dictionary of American Idioms
look out for- watch, protect, look after Please look out for your sister. She needs your protection…English idioms
- …Useful english dictionary look out for someone
- look out for (someone/something) 1. to feel responsible for someone or something. I have a network of neighbors who look out for each other and support each other. 2. to be aware of the existence of someone or something. Everybody thought I d… … New idioms dictionary
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Studying phrasal verbs is always exciting: it is difficult to predict how far the child phrasal verb will go from the parent verb. And if you focus on the fun and unexpected aspects of it, then learning will be a joy, and progress will not be long in coming. Here you'll see!
Today we consider formed from the English phrasal verb to look(“look, watch, look”).
to look after - take care, look after
to look ahead - look into the future, show foresight
to look at - 1) skim, skim
to look at - 2) study the possibility, consider options
to look back - look back (also in a figurative sense)
to look down - treat with disdain, look down on
to look for - search
to look forward to - look forward to, anticipate
to look into - study, explore, consider the possibility
to look on - 1) to look indifferently, “to stare”
to look on - 2) consider (in the figurative sense), evaluate, count
to look out - look out, look out
When you go to the exhibition, look out for Howard. He will surely be there. |
When you go to the show, look for Howard. He will definitely be there. |
There is also a caveat Look out! - Carefully! |
to look out for - to look after
to look over - explore, inspect
to look round - inspect (place, building)
to look through - “run”, quickly look through
to look up - 1) search, find
to look up - 2) respect, admire (someone), look up to (someone).
is admirable. She is the person I look up to. |
Phrasal verbs occupy a separate niche in the English language, learning which will be not only useful, but also educational. The peculiarity of phrasal verbs is that they consist of a main part - the verb, and an additional part - prepositions, of which there can be a huge number. Thanks to this, the same word, just with different prepositions, can have a large number of meanings. Let's look at the phrasal verb look and give examples with its main meanings.
Let's start with the translation of the main word - to look. The word means to look, to see. This is a regular verb; past tense forms are formed by adding the ending -ed.
But! If we are talking about the phrasal verb look, then with prepositions the meaning will be completely different. Let's look at some of them with translation for better understanding:
Look around/about
The meaning of this phrasal verb is to examine something, to examine something
- Is it free of charge if we want to look around the ancient buildings? => Can we tour the old buildings for free? (Don't you have to pay for this?)
- Sarah is still looking about for a better job => Sarah is still looking for a better job.
Look ahead
Meaning - to provide, to foresee, to look forward (to the future)
- If looking ahead to the future, the society can be much more prosperous => If you look into the future, the society can be more prosperous.
- She likes to look ahead in imagination of what might happen if she did so or so => She likes to look ahead, imagining what could happen if she did this or that way.
Look after
Meaning and translation - to look after someone (something), to take care of someone, to monitor, to look after:
- My grandma was looking after the child when I came in => When I came in, my grandmother was looking after the child.
- The friends were looking after the car as it was leaving faster and faster => The friends watched the car as it moved away faster and faster.
Look at
Meaning - to look, check, look at something or someone:
- I never look at this nothingness => I never look at these little things.
- I am looking at this piece of cake and understand that I am full but my eyes are hungry => I look at this piece of cake and understand that I am full, but my eyes are hungry.
Look back
The meaning is to look back into the past, to remember:
- I recommend you never look back, in any way, you can not change what happened => I recommend you never look back (not to return to the past, in any case, you cannot change what has already happened.
- I am still looking back in the past trying to recollect all the memories => I'm still looking back into the past, trying to collect all the memories together.
Look into
Meaning - consider, explore
- I will try hard to find time to look into this acticle => I will really try to take the time to study this article carefully.
- Looking into these reports we can say that the work is well done! => By examining these reports we can say that a job well done!
Please note that in the last sentence the phrasal verb is used in the present continuous.
Look in
Meaning - to go to someone, to look at someone:
- They had to look in to visit us, but they were too busy to spend their time on us => They should have stopped by to visit us, but were too busy to spend their time on us.
- The boy decided to look in to see her just for a minute => The guy decided to look at her to see her at least for a minute.
Look down (on)
Meaning - to look with contempt, to look down, to look down; fall, decline (in price):
- Well, frankly speaking, I look down on this agreement => Well, to be honest, I look at this agreement with disdain.
- She looked down towards the waves (past simple) => She looked down at the waves.
Look for
Meaning: to seek, to look for, to hope, to expect
- I am looking for the better apartment for her (present continuous) => I am looking for better housing for her.
- I had to look for the dog all the night => I had to look for the dog all night.
Look forward to
Meaning: to look forward to, to anticipate:
- The children are looking forward to the New Year holidays ( present continuous) => Children are looking forward to the New Year holidays.
- She is looking forward to it with a great pleasure ( present continuous)=> She looks forward to this with great pleasure.
Look on
- My grandpa looks on her as his grandchild => My grandfather considers her his granddaughter.
Look out for
Meaning - to search, look out:
- Be so kind to look out for those who are absent => Please look for those who are missing (who are absent).
- Andrew had to look out for that girl because she was the only one who knew the truth => Andrew had to find that girl because she was the only one who knew the truth.
Look over (through)
Meaning - inspect, check; view, look through
- They were looking over the articles when their mom came => When their mom came, they were looking through the notes.
- The teacher looked over the essay and shut the book => The teacher looked through the essay and closed the book.
Look to
Meaning - count on, turn to someone (for something)
- They had to look to us for some help => They should have turned to us for some help.
Look up to
Meaning: to admire, respect, look up to someone
- She looked her brother up to being so brave => She admired her brother's bravery.
Let's sum it up
Using the phrasal verb look will make your speech richer and more varied. This verb is one of the most popular and most often used among all phrasal verbs. Do translation exercises regularly and enrich yourself with knowledge. There are never too many of them!
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