look
- 01 A1 Beginner
v.to turn your eyes toward something so that you can see it.
v.to direct one's gaze in a particular direction. Intransitive; typically requires the preposition 'at' to take an object.
Simple“Look at the map to see where the museum is located.”
In context“If you look closely at the brushwork, you can see the artist's signature hidden in the shadows of the lower-left corner.”
PitfallI am looking the television. I am looking at the television.When 'look' has an object, you must use the preposition 'at'.
- 02 A1 Beginner
v.to have a particular appearance or give a certain impression.
v.to have a specified appearance; functions as a copular verb followed by an adjective or 'like' + noun.
Simple“You look tired today; did you get enough sleep last night?”
In context“The old manor house looks quite imposing in the moonlight, though it is actually much smaller than the photographs suggest.”
- 03 A2 Elementary
v.to try to find something or someone.
v.to search for something. Intransitive; almost always used with the preposition 'for'.
Simple“I am looking for my keys; have you seen them anywhere?”
In context“The investigators spent several hours looking for evidence in the garden, but the heavy rain had washed away any potential footprints.”
- 04 A2 Elementary
n.the act of using your eyes to check or examine something.
n.an instance of directing one's gaze; a brief examination or inspection.
Simple“Let me have a look at your phone to see if I can fix the problem.”
In context“After a quick look at the financial reports, the manager decided to postpone the expansion until the following quarter.”
Synonyms - 05 B1 Intermediate
n.the way someone or something looks, especially their style or beauty.
n.the appearance or style of a person or thing. Often used in the plural to refer to physical attractiveness.
Simple“She has a very modern look with her short hair and bright clothes.”
In context“The actor relied on his good looks early in his career, but he eventually proved his talent through more demanding dramatic roles.”
Synonyms - 06 B1 Intermediate
interj.a word used to make someone listen to what you are saying.
interj.used to call attention to what the speaker is about to say, often to express a point clearly or firmly.
Simple“Look, I don't want to argue, but we need to make a decision now.”
In context“Look, if we don't address the budget deficit this month, we won't be able to afford the new equipment in January.”
look vs see vs watch — Look is the intentional direction of the eyes, see is the automatic perception of an image, and watch is the sustained observation of something in motion.
look vs seem — Look focuses on visual evidence, while seem describes an internal impression or a general state.
look vs watch — Look is the act of directing your eyes toward something, while watch is the act of paying attention to something in motion over time.
look vs see — See is the passive act of noticing with your eyes, while look is the active direction of your gaze.
Usage look like · look at what's · look forward
From Middle English loken, lokien, from Old English lōcian, from Proto-West Germanic lōkōn. Further origin unknown, no certain cognates outside Germanic. Cognate with Scots luke, luik, leuk (“to look, see”), West Frisian lôkje, loaitsje (“to look”), Dutch loeken (“to look”), German Low German löken. Likely also related to German lugen (“to peek”), Alemannic German luege (“to look”), Yiddish לוגן (lugn). Possibly related to Sanskrit लोक् (lok, “to see, behold”) (from Proto-Indo-European lewk- (“light”) in the sense of "illuminating" (cf. related word रुच् (ruc) "to shine, illuminate")).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.