Word
looking
Phoneticslook·ing
US/ˈɫʊkɪŋ/
UK/lˈʊkɪŋ/
Definitions
01searching or watching
v. the action of using your eyes to find something or watch someone.
v. the present participle of 'look', used in continuous tenses to denote visual search, observation, or attention.
“I am looking for my glasses because I cannot find them anywhere.”
“The investigators were looking into the cause of the accident for several months before releasing their final report.”
Usage
Often followed by 'for' when searching or 'at' when observing.
Pitfall
I am looking my keys.
I am looking for my keys.
When searching for an object, you must use the preposition 'for' after 'looking'.
02having an appearance
adj. used with another word to describe how someone or something looks.
adj. used as the second element in compound adjectives to specify a particular physical or aesthetic appearance.
“He is a very good-looking man with a kind smile.”
“The strange-looking device on the table turned out to be an antique coffee grinder from the nineteenth century.”
Usage
Typically follows an adverb or adjective in a hyphenated compound, such as 'healthy-looking' or 'expensive-looking'.
03the act of glancing
n. the act of looking at something briefly.
n. the gerundial use of the verb to denote the act of directing one's gaze or attention.
“After a quick looking over the documents, she signed her name.”
“The constant looking back at past mistakes prevented the team from focusing on the current project's requirements.”
Usage
Often functions as a verbal noun in formal or literary contexts.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English lokynge, from earlier lokinde, lokende, from Old English lōciende, present participle of Old English lōcian (“to look”), equivalent to look + -ing.
From Middle English lokynge, lokinge, from Old English lōcung (attested in Old English þurhlōcung), equivalent to look + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/looking