# looked

/ˈɫʊkt/ (US) · /lˈʊkt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/looked
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. used your eyes

verb · CEFR A1

to have used your eyes to see or find something in the past.

For teachers: the past tense of 'look' in the sense of directing one's gaze toward someone or something.

- He looked out the window and saw that it was starting to snow.
- The detective looked carefully at the fingerprints on the glass, hoping to find a match before the suspect fled the city.

Usage: Requires the preposition 'at' when followed by a direct object of sight.

### 2. appeared to be

verb · CEFR A1

to have had a certain appearance or mood in the past.

For teachers: the past tense of the linking verb 'look', used to describe a past state or appearance.

- The cake looked delicious, so I decided to buy a piece.
- The candidate looked confident during the debate, though her internal polling suggested the race was still remarkably tight.

Usage: Functions as a linking verb followed by an adjective.

### 3. having a specific appearance

adjective · CEFR B2

having a particular look, usually used with another word like 'good' or 'sad'.

For teachers: used in compound adjectives to describe a specific physical or stylistic appearance.

- He was a sad-looked man who rarely smiled at his neighbours.
- The rough-looked exterior of the building hid a surprisingly modern and luxurious interior design.

Usage: Almost exclusively used in hyphenated compound adjectives like 'good-looked' or 'strange-looked'.

## Examples

- She looked at the map to find the way.
- The manager looked tired after the long meeting but stayed to answer every question.
- He looked across the valley, noting how the shifting light transformed the rugged landscape into a tapestry of deep purples and golds.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.