looking
n. uncountablen. the act of using your eyes to see something or searching for something. It is often used when you check something quickly or try to find a specific person or object.
n. the act of directing one's gaze or searching for something. Often functions as a gerund or part of a compound noun phrase.
The detective gave the room a careful looking over.
After a quick looking through the files, she realized the contract was missing.
The restoration of the painting required a close looking at the brushwork to ensure the new pigments matched the artist's original technique.
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.
Commonly appears in the phrasal noun form 'looking over' or 'looking through'.