Practice
Phrasal verbs with look: meanings and examples
Sign in to saveYou can look for a missing key, look after a neighbor's cat, and look forward to a holiday. The verb stays the same, but the small word after look changes the meaning.
Use common look phrases to talk about care, searching, future plans, investigation, warning, information, and admiration.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
I look forward to seeing you next week. /aɪ lʊk ˈfɔːwəd tə ˈsiːɪŋ juː nekst wiːk/
The short answer
Learn look phrases as complete units. Look after means take care of, look for means try to find, look forward to means wait happily for something, look into means investigate, and look up means find information.
I am looking for my glasses, but my sister is looking after the children.
Why it works: Looking for is about a search. Looking after is about care and responsibility.
7 more examples
-
Can you look after my cat while I am away?
Look after means take care of. The speaker asks another person to accept responsibility for the cat.
Not this:Can you
look for my catwhile I am away? What changes: Look for means try to find the cat. It does not mean provide routine care. -
I have looked everywhere for my passport.
Look for means search for something that you want to find.
Not this:I
looked up the passport officeonline. What changes: Look up means find information, such as an address, number, or definition. -
We are looking forward to meeting the new team.
Look forward to means feel pleased about something that will happen later. Meeting is an -ing form because to is a preposition here.
Not this:We
plan to meetthe new team on Monday. What changes: Plan to is followed by the base verb. It states an arrangement, while look forward to shows pleased expectation. -
The manager will look into the missing payment.
Look into means investigate or try to discover the facts about a problem.
Not this:The manager will
look over the payment form. What changes: Look over means examine or check something. It does not always mean a full investigation. -
Look out for bicycles when you step into the road.
Look out warns someone to be careful because there may be danger.
Not this:
Look at the bicyclesin the shop window. What changes: Look at directs attention to something. It does not give a warning. -
Please look up this word in a dictionary.
Look up means find information. This sentence asks for the word's meaning or spelling.
Not this:Please
look this word upin a dictionary. What changes: Both word orders are possible with the noun phrase this word. The meaning stays the same. -
Many young players look up to the team captain.
Look up to means admire or respect someone.
Not this:The team captain
looked up at the scoreboard. What changes: Look up at is about moving your eyes toward something above you. It does not mean admire.
Read the full guide
First, read look together with the word or words after it. Ask what the whole phrase means in the situation. Then check what can come next. You look for an object, look after a person or thing, and look forward to a noun or an -ing form. A phrase can be correct in one pattern and wrong in another.
Read look with the next word
The meaning of a look phrase comes from the combination, not from look alone. Compare look for a receipt with look after a child. Both phrases begin with look, but one is about searching and the other is about care. Read the small word after look before you choose a meaning.
I am looking for the receipt from yesterday.
The speaker wants to find a document, so look for is the right phrase.
I am looking after my niece this afternoon.
The speaker has responsibility for a child, so look after means take care of.
Does look after mean that you are trying to find someone?
No. Look after means care for a person, animal, place, or thing.
Use look after and look for for care and searching
Use look after with the person, animal, or thing that receives care. A parent can look after a child, and a neighbor can look after your plants. Use look for with the person or thing you want to find. You can look for a job, a file, or a quiet place to sit.
Rina looks after the office plants when the manager is away.
The plants need regular care, so look after fits.
Rina is looking for the office keys.
The keys are missing, so she is trying to find them.
Which phrase fits a search for a lost wallet?
Use look for: I am looking for my wallet.
Use look forward to for a welcome future event
Look forward to says that you expect something in the future and feel pleased about it. The phrase is common in friendly email endings and ordinary conversation. After to, use a noun or an -ing form. Do not use the base verb after this to.
I look forward to the school break.
The school break is a noun phrase, so it can follow to.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Hearing is an -ing form. The phrase does not take to hear in this pattern.
Which is correct: look forward to hear from you or look forward to hearing from you?
Use look forward to hearing from you because to is a preposition in this phrase.
Use look into, look over, and look up when you need information
Look into means investigate a question or problem. Look over means examine something, often to check it. Look up means find a fact, word, address, or other information in a source. The phrases can happen in the same situation, but they describe different actions.
The library will look into why the computer system stopped.
The library needs to investigate the cause of a problem.
Please look over the schedule before the meeting.
The speaker asks you to examine the schedule for details or mistakes.
I looked up the train times on the website.
The speaker found information that was already available.
Which phrase means investigate a complaint?
Use look into: The company will look into the complaint.
Use look out for a warning
Look out is a quick warning. It tells someone to pay attention because something may be dangerous. Look out for can also mean watch carefully for a person or thing that you expect to see. The situation tells you whether the phrase is a warning or a request to notice something.
Look out! That box is falling.
The speaker gives an immediate warning about danger.
Look out for a blue sign after the bridge.
The speaker asks you to notice a sign when it appears.
Can look out be used when there is no direct object?
Yes. Look out can stand alone as a warning, especially when the danger is clear from the situation.
Keep word order clear with look up and look up to
Look up and look up to have different meanings. Look up means find information. With a noun object, you can place the noun after the phrase or between look and up. Look up to means admire someone and must stay together before the person you admire.
Look the number up before you call.
Number is a noun, so look up the number and look the number up are both possible.
Look it up before you call.
With the pronoun it, put the pronoun between look and up.
I have always looked up to my older sister.
Look up to means admire or respect a person.
Which phrase means admire a person?
Use look up to: Many students look up to their coach.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose the whole phrase by meaning. Look after is for care, look for is for a search, look forward to is for a welcome future event, look into is for an investigation, look out is for a warning, look up is for information, and look up to is for admiration. Check the word order and the form after the phrase before you speak or write.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Phrasal verbs with look: meanings and examples"
What does look after mean?
Look after means take care of someone or something. You can look after a child, a pet, a house, or plants. The phrase is about responsibility and care, while look for means try to find something.
Can you look after my cat while I am away?
What is the difference between look for and look up?
Look for means search for a missing or wanted person or thing. Look up means find information in a source, such as a dictionary or website. You might look for your passport, then look up the passport office address.
Can you look for my cat while I am away?
Why does look forward to use an -ing form?
In look forward to, to is a preposition. A preposition can be followed by a noun or an -ing form, so say look forward to the visit or look forward to meeting the team. Do not use the base verb after this phrase.
I have looked everywhere for my passport.
What does look into mean?
Look into means investigate a question, problem, or complaint. A manager can look into a missing payment, for example. The phrase means trying to discover the facts, while look over usually means examine something more generally.
I looked up the passport office online.
Can I say look the word up?
Yes. With a noun object, both look up the word and look the word up are correct. With a pronoun, put it in the middle: look it up. Look up to is a different phrase that means admire or respect a person.
We are looking forward to meeting the new team.