Look (verb) — to direct your eyes towards something in order to see it; or to appear a certain way to others.
Look (noun) — the act of directing your eyes at something; or the outward appearance of a person or thing.
What Does Look Mean?
Look comes from Old English locian, meaning "to see, gaze, or behold", related to Old High German luogen (to look out). It has been in continuous use for over a thousand years and is one of the highest-frequency verbs in British English.
As a verb, look is deliberate — you consciously choose to direct your attention somewhere. This distinguishes it from see (passive perception — your eyes receive an image without effort) and watch (sustained attention on something that moves or changes over time). Understanding this three-way distinction is essential for natural English: you look at a painting, you see a friend across the street, and you watch a film.
As a linking verb, look describes how someone or something appears: "She looks confident." In this pattern it behaves like seem, appear, and feel — it is followed by an adjective, never an adverb. As a noun, look can refer to a single glance ("Have a look at this"), a facial expression ("She gave him a disapproving look"), or overall aesthetic ("I love the minimalist look of this room").
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & Usage note |
|---|---|
| Look at the board carefully. | A2 — imperative; look + at + object |
| She looks tired after the long journey. | B1 — linking verb; look + adjective |
| Can you have a look at my essay before I submit it? | B1 — noun phrase; have a look at |
| The report looks as though it has been written in a hurry. | B2 — look + as though + clause (formal) |
| The committee undertook a closer look at the underlying causes of the disparity before issuing its recommendations. | C1 — noun collocations; closer look; formal register |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| have a look | Have a look at this — it is fascinating. |
| take a look | Take a look at the figures on page three. |
| a closer look | A closer look revealed a small crack in the wall. |
| a quick look | I only had a quick look before the meeting started. |
| look carefully | Look carefully at the instructions before you begin. |
| look away | She looked away, unable to hide her embarrassment. |
| look ahead | We need to look ahead and plan for next year. |
| good looks | He is charming, but it is not just about good looks. |
Phrasal Verbs with Look
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| look after | to take care of | She looks after her younger brother every evening. |
| look for | to search for | I am looking for my keys — have you seen them? |
| look forward to | to anticipate with pleasure | I look forward to hearing from you. |
| look into | to investigate | The manager promised to look into the complaint. |
| look up | to search for information; to improve | Look it up in the dictionary. / Things are finally looking up. |
| look out | to be careful; to watch for a danger | Look out for icy patches on the road this morning. |
| look down on | to regard as inferior | She never looks down on anyone, regardless of their background. |
| look back | to think about the past | Looking back, I wish I had studied harder. |
Usage Notes
Look, See, or Watch?
Use look when the action is deliberate and directed: Look at the sky.
Use see for passive or unintentional perception: I can see the mountains from here.
Use watch for sustained attention on something moving or changing: We watched the match together.
Common Mistakes
She looks tiredly. (linking verb — adjective required, not adverb)
She looks tired.
I am looking forward to meet you. (phrasal verb — gerund required after preposition)
I am looking forward to meeting you.
Look the word in the dictionary. (particle required)
Look the word up in the dictionary. / Look up the word in the dictionary.