INDEX:
to look at something
1. to look at somebody or something
2. to look for a long time
3. to look quickly
4. to look angrily
5. to look hard and with difficulty
6. to look at a lot of things you might buy, read, etc
7. to look at someone in a way that shows you are sexually interested in them
8. to stop looking at someone or something
what somebody or something looks like
9. the way someone or something looks
10. to have a particular appearance
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ SEE
↑ WATCH
↑ EXAMINE
↑ LOOK FOR
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1. to look at somebody or something
▷ look /lʊk/ [intransitive verb]
to turn your eyes towards something so that you can see it :
▪ Look, there are some swans on the river.
look at
▪ ‘Come on, it’s time to go,’ he said, looking at his watch.
▪ Look at me when I’m talking to you.
look into/out of/through/down etc
▪ Tom looked out the window over the dry, barren landscape.
▪ I always look through the peephole before I open the door for anyone.
▪ The teacher stopped and looked around to see if there were any questions.
look at somebody/something in amazement/disbelief/surprise etc
in a way that shows you are surprised or shocked
▪ ‘You were a hippie?’ she asked, looking at her father in disbelief.
look [countable noun]
when you turn your eyes to look at someone or something :
▪ Sarah needed only one look at her daughter’s face to know something was wrong.
▪ I was getting disapproving looks from the people around me.
▷ take a look/have a look /ˌteɪk ə ˈlʊk, ˌhæv ə ˈlʊk/ [verb phrase] especially spoken
to look at something, especially something interesting or unusual :
▪ ‘I think there’s something wrong with the car.’ ‘Do you want me to have a look?’
take a look/have a look at
▪ We climbed to the top of the tower to have a look at the view.
▪ ‘You’d better take a look at this,’ she said, passing me a letter.
take/have a good look
look very carefully
▪ Take a good look at the pictures and tell me if anyone looks familiar.
take/have a close look
look at something very closely
▪ He moved to the front of the crowd to have a closer look at the animal.
▷ look over /ˌlʊk ˈəʊvəʳ/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to quickly look at the details of someone or something, especially before you officially agree to buy it, use it etc :
look over somebody/something
▪ We looked over several apartments before finally choosing this one.
▪ If you want, I can look over your English homework for you.
look somebody/something etc over
▪ Would you care to look the document over before you sign?
▪ Jessica hated the way the men in the bar looked her over.
▷ examine /ɪgˈzæmɪn, ɪgˈzæmən/ [transitive verb]
to look at someone or something extremely carefully, especially because you want to find its faults or mistakes :
▪ When the police examined the gun, they found Wright’s fingerprints on it.
▪ A team of investigators is examining the crash site.
examine something closely
to examine very carefully
▪ Before buying an antique, examine it closely to avoid buying a fake.
examine somebody/something for something
▪ The video shows women how to examine their breasts for cancer.
examination /ɪgˌzæmɪˈneɪʃ ə n, ɪgˌzæməˈneɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
▪ After careful examination, Lloyd estimated the tree was 500 years old.
examine of
▪ Authorities still have not released findings from their examination of the dead sheep.
on closer examination
when you look at something more carefully
▪ On closer examination she realized that the bag was made of plastic, not leather.
▷ view /vjuː/ [transitive verb]
walk around a place in order to look at it, especially so that you can decide what your opinion about it is :
view a house/garden/exhibition etc
▪ A few journalists were allowed to view the art exhibition the day before it opened.
▪ I’d like to make an appointment to view the house on Clement Street that’s for sale.
▷ admire /ədˈmaɪəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to look at something and think how beautiful or impressive it is :
▪ I was just admiring your lovely garden.
▪ We stopped at the top of the mountain to admire the view.
2. to look for a long time
▷ stare /steəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
to look directly at someone or something for a long time, without moving your eyes :
▪ It’s not polite to stare, you know.
stare at
▪ Why are you staring at me like that?
▪ She stared at the page for several minutes, trying to understand.
▪ Ron kept silent and stared down at his food.
stare into/out of etc
▪ When he’s depressed, he just sits there, staring off into space.
stare back (at somebody)
stare at someone who is staring at you
▪ Everyone turned to look at him, and he stared stonily back.
stare (at somebody/something) in amazement/horror/disbelief etc
in a way that shows you are surprised or shocked
▪ Donna stared in horror as the man fell to the floor.
stare somebody down
stare at someone until they stop staring at you
▪ Fenton stood tall and stared down the gunmen.
stare [countable noun]
a long direct look :
▪ Charles didn’t reply. He just gave his daughter an icy stare.
a blank/vacant stare
a long look that does not show any thought or emotion
▪ The suspect was described as having a blank stare after the shooting spree.
▷ gaze /geɪz/ [intransitive verb]
to look at something or someone for a long time, especially with a feeling of love or great pleasure - used especially in stories and literature :
gaze at
▪ I lay back on the sand and gazed at the stars above.
▪ Ruth gazed down at the sleeping child.
gaze out/into/through etc
▪ He stopped talking suddenly and gazed into the distance.
▪ She sat gazing out the windows at the people walking by.
gaze [singular noun]
turn your gaze
▪ Toni turned her gaze back to the fireplace.
▷ gape /geɪp/ [intransitive verb]
to look at someone or something for a long time, especially with your mouth open, because you are very surprised or shocked :
▪ People stopped to gape as she walked down the street in a see-through mini-dress.
gape at
▪ She stood there gaping at me, too shocked to speak.
gape in amazement/horror etc
▪ I could only gape in astonishment as I saw the man take the bottle from the shelf and put it under his coat.
▷ gawk also gawp British /gɔːk, gɔːp/ [intransitive verb]
to look at someone in a rude or annoying way, for example because they look unusual or are doing something unusual :
▪ Tourists walked around gawking at the people in traditional costumes.
▪ I wanted to kill the morons who had gathered around me, gawping and pointing.
▷ eye /aɪ/ [transitive verb]
to look at someone or something with interest or because you do not trust them :
▪ Mavis eyed the old sewing machine. ‘Does this still work?’ she asked.
▪ The two teams eyed each other warily, waiting for the game to begin.
▷ look somebody up and down /ˌlʊk somebody ʌp ən ˈdaʊn/ [verb phrase]
to look very carefully at someone’s body and the clothes they are wearing, especially because you do not know them and you are trying to form an opinion of them :
▪ The hotel manager slowly looked the old man up and down and then asked him to leave.
▪ ‘Don’t be silly - you don’t need to lose weight,’ he said, looking her up and down.
3. to look quickly
▷ glance /glɑːnsǁglæns/ [intransitive verb]
to look quickly at someone or something and then look away again :
glance at
▪ Dr Morse kept glancing nervously at his watch.
▪ ‘Some of you may not be happy about what I have to say,’ he began, glancing at Janey.
glance into/down/through etc
▪ Glancing into Neil’s room, she noticed that his suitcase was packed.
glance [countable noun]
glance at
▪ A quick glance at the map showed that we were on the right road.
a backward glance
a quick look back at the place you have left
▪ I walked away without a wave or a backward glance.
a sidelong glance
a quick look to one side
▪ Tammy gave her sister a sidelong glance and the two started to giggle.
▷ take a quick look/have a quick look /ˌteɪk ə kwɪk ˈlʊk, ˌhæv ə kwɪk ˈlʊk/ [verb phrase]
to look at something quickly in order to check that everything is satisfactory :
take a quick look/have a quick look at/around/through etc
▪ He took a quick look in the mirror, and went out of the house.
▪ She had a quick look around the room before letting the guests in.
▷ peek/take a peek /piːk, ˌteɪk ə ˈpiːk/ [intransitive verb/verb phrase]
to look at something quickly and secretly, especially from a place where you cannot be seen :
▪ When I heard the noise in the next room, I couldn’t resist having a peek.
peek/take a peek at
▪ The little girl peeked at me from behind her grandmother’s skirt.
peek/take a peek in/into/through/over etc
▪ We tip-toed into the room and peeked in the crib without waking the baby.
▪ She opened the door and took a quick peek inside.
▷ peep /piːp/ [intransitive verb] especially British
to look at something quickly and secretly, especially from a place where you cannot be seen :
peep through/into/round
▪ Bobby peeped around the corner to see if anyone was coming.
▪ We peeped through a crack in the fence and saw Mrs Finley talking to a strange-looking man.
▷ take one look /teɪk ˌwʌn ˈlʊk/ [verb phrase]
to look quickly at someone or something that you have not seen before, and immediately decide what your opinion of them is :
▪ They opened the door to the room, took one look, and decided to go to another hotel.
take one look at
▪ She took one look at me and said she would not work with me.
▪ The teacher took one look at his homework and told him he would have to redo it.
4. to look angrily
▷ glare /gleəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
to look angrily at someone :
▪ He sat there in silence, glaring angrily.
glare at
▪ ‘You can go if you want, but I’m staying,’ Denise said glaring at him.
glare toward/across/around etc
▪ Claude put down his fork and glared across the table.
glare [countable noun]
▪ He looked me straight in the eye with a stern glare.
▷ look daggers at /ˌlʊk ˈdægəʳz æt/ [verb phrase] especially British
to look at someone very angrily, as if you would like to hurt them :
▪ When I asked him what he’d done with the money he just looked daggers at me and refused to speak.
▪ Julie must have heard you talking about her, because she was looking daggers at you from the next table.
▷ give somebody a dirty look also give somebody a black/filthy look British /ˌgɪv somebody ə ˌdɜːʳti ˈlʊk, ˌgɪv somebody ə ˌblæk, ˌfɪlθi ˈlʊk/ [verb phrase]
to quickly look at someone angrily to show that you are angry with them, especially in a situation when you cannot tell them that you are angry :
▪ I don’t know what I did to upset her, but she gave me a really filthy look when I walked into the meeting.
▪ My aunt’s friends always used to give me dirty looks when I brought my kids over, because they knew I wasn’t married.
▷ scowl /skaʊl/ [intransitive verb]
to look at someone in an angry way, or make an angry, unhappy expression with your face :
▪ Jane scowled and told them to get out.
▪ ‘What do you want?’ said the old man, scowling.
scowl at
▪ What are you scowling at me for? You asked me to wake you up.
scowl [countable noun]
▪ A teenage girl was sitting alone in a corner with a scowl on her face.
▷ frown at /ˈfraʊn æt/ [verb phrase]
to look at someone or something with an annoyed, confused, or disapproving expression on your face :
▪ The teacher frowned at him and asked him to sit down.
▪ When I got back to the table, Carolyn was frowning at the check.
▪ ‘Sibling rivalry?’ she asked, frowning at his use of psychological terms.
frown [countable noun]
give somebody a frown
▪ He walked past her, giving her a judgmental frown.
▷ if looks could kill /ɪf ˌlʊks kʊd ˈkɪl/
use this when you are telling someone how another person looked at you in a very angry way, and you found this funny or frightening :
▪ You should’ve seen her face when she realized what I’d done - if looks could kill!
5. to look hard and with difficulty
▷ squint /skwɪnt/ [intransitive verb]
to look hard at something that you find difficult to see, and make your eyes narrower to try and see better :
▪ Bring your glasses or you’ll have to squint through the whole movie.
squint at
▪ She squinted at the sign but couldn’t read what it said.
squint through/over/into etc
▪ Driving down the narrow country road, Blackthorne squinted into the darkness.
▷ peer /pɪəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
to look with difficulty at someone or something, especially because you cannot see very well or there is not enough light :
peer through/into/out etc
▪ Roger peered into the dark corridor to see what was making the noise.
peer at
▪ She adjusted her glasses and peered at the man.
▷ screw up your eyes /ˌskruː ʌp jɔːr ˈaɪz/ [verb phrase] informal
to try to make it easier to see something by almost closing your eyes, especially because the light is too bright or because what you are looking at is very small :
▪ You have to screw up your eyes to see the figure in the bottom left of the picture.
6. to look at a lot of things you might buy, read, etc
▷ look around/take a look around/have a look around /ˌlʊk əˈraʊnd, teɪk ə ˌlʊk əˈraʊnd, hæv ə ˌlʊk əˈraʊnd/ []
to walk around a shop or market or a place where tourists go, looking at a lot of different things :
▪ I just want to take a quick look around and see if there’s anything I want.
▪ He makes a list of what he needs and then walks into the store and buys it, without looking around at all.
▪ You’re welcome to have a look around. We have a wide range of sportswear.
▷ browse /braʊz/ [intransitive verb]
to spend time looking at things in a shop, especially books or records, without intending to buy anything :
▪ Armando spent the afternoon browsing in Camden market.
browse through
▪ He found Jill in the gallery shop silently browsing through some books.
▷ window-shopping /ˈwɪndəʊ ˌʃɒpɪŋǁ-ˌʃɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
the activity of looking at goods in shop windows without intending to buy anything :
▪ We didn’t have any money but we enjoyed window-shopping in Fifth Avenue.
go window-shopping
▪ Sometimes I go window-shopping after work.
▷ I’m just looking /aɪm ˌdʒʌst ˈlʊkɪŋ/ spoken
say this to tell someone who works in a shop that you are only looking at things, and you do not intend to buy anything just now :
▪ ‘Can I help you?’ ‘No thanks, I’m just looking.’
7. to look at someone in a way that shows you are sexually interested in them
▷ leer /lɪəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
to look and smile at someone in a way that shows a strong sexual interest, especially so that people feel a little frightened, embarrassed, or offended :
▪ ‘Hey, baby. Do you like what you see?’ he said, leering.
leer at
▪ The old man leered suggestively at the waitress.
▪ Stopping his work for a second, the garage attendant leered at the girls in the car.
leer [singular noun]
▪ He stood in the doorway, with a leer on his face, refusing to let her past.
▷ ogle /ˈəʊg ə l/ [transitive verb]
to look at someone in an offensive way that shows you are sexually attracted to their body :
▪ A group of men were ogling her from a bench across the street.
▪ The beach was full of teenage boys who had come to ogle the girls in bikinis.
▷ eye up /ˌaɪ ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb] British informal
to look at someone in a way that shows that you are sexually interested in them :
eye somebody up/eye up somebody
▪ I’m not sure if he’s eyeing me up or just staring at me.
▪ Those two have been eyeing each other up all evening.
▷ make eyes at /ˌmeɪk ˈaɪz æt/ [verb phrase]
to make it clear to someone that you are sexually attracted to them by looking at them in a way that gets their attention :
▪ Did you see those two making eyes at each other across the table?
8. to stop looking at someone or something
▷ look away /ˌlʊk əˈweɪ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to turn your eyes away from something that you were looking at :
▪ The accident scene was so horrible that I had to look away.
▪ The minute he looked away, I crumpled the piece of paper and shoved it in my coat pocket.
look away from
▪ She looked away from him, unable to tell him the truth
▷ look up /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to stop looking at something and turn your face upwards, in order to see someone or talk to them :
▪ There was a loud bang outside the classroom, and we all looked up.
look up from
▪ ‘Goodbye, then,’ she said, without even looking up from her book.
▷ look around also look round British /ˌlʊk əˈraʊnd, ˌlʊk ˈraʊnd/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to turn your eyes away from what you were looking at and start to look at what is around you :
▪ Alan put down his newspaper and looked around, ‘What was that noise?’
▪ The speaker finished her speech and looked round to see if there were any questions.
▷ turn your face away /ˌtɜːʳn jɔːʳ ˈfeɪs əweɪ/ [verb phrase]
to stop looking at someone or something by turning your face in another direction, especially because you are embarrassed or upset :
▪ He burped loudly, and she turned her face away in disgust.
turn your face away from
▪ Turning his face away from her, Glen began to cry.
▷ avert your eyes/gaze /əˌvɜːʳt jɔːr ˈaɪz, ˈgeɪz/ [verb phrase] formal
to deliberately turn your eyes away from what you are looking at, because you do not want to look at it any longer :
▪ The two averted their eyes as they passed each other in the hall.
▪ When Celia dropped her robe, Richard averted his gaze and stepped back awkwardly.
9. the way someone or something looks
▷ appearance /əˈpɪ ə rəns/ [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ A layer of sand will give a natural appearance to the bottom of the aquarium.
somebody’s/something’s appearance
▪ I wish she’d do something about her appearance - she’s always such a mess.
▪ Concentrate on the content of your essay, not its appearance.
appearance of
▪ The military activity was in stark contrast to the peaceful appearance of the islands.
have the appearance of somebody/something
look similar to someone or something
▪ The waitress, although she was only about 40, had the appearance of a very old woman.
in appearance
▪ The mushrooms are similar in appearance to poisonous one, so you have to be careful.
judge by appearances
make decisions based on how someone or something looks
▪ Judging by appearances, things are back to normal.
▷ looks /lʊks/ [plural noun]
someone’s appearance, especially when considering how good-looking they are. Looks is less formal than appearance :
somebody’s looks
▪ Girls of that age are always worried about their looks.
▪ Emily had refused to marry him on account of his looks.
good looks
a good-looking appearance
▪ People generally describe him as having boyish good looks.
keep/lose your (good) looks
remain or stop being good-looking
▪ She was 20 years older now, but had managed to keep her looks.
▷ look /lʊk/ [countable noun usually singular]
the appearance of something, especially an appearance that has been deliberately planned or made :
look of
▪ The text is fine but the look of the page is all wrong.
have the look of
look similar to someone or something
▪ Sapporo, Japan, has the look of a Wisconsin city in winter.
by/from the look of something
judging by its appearance
▪ From the look of it, I’d say the chair was about 100 years old, maybe 150.
the Bohemian/Versace/1960s etc look
▪ Her long straight hair and dark eye make-up give her a sort of late-'60s look.
▷ image /ˈɪmɪdʒ/ [countable noun usually singular]
the appearance and character that someone deliberately tries to produce by dressing or behaving in a particular way :
▪ I like her new image - it’s a lot more dignified.
▪ He doesn’t really need those glasses - they’re just part of his ‘intellectual’ image.
image of
▪ Since I started working in this company, I have tried to maintain the image of a winner.
image as
▪ The scandal has badly hurt her image as an honest politician.
10. to have a particular appearance
▷ look /lʊk/ []
▪ Doesn’t she look beautiful!
▪ That coat looks nice and warm. Where did you get it?
▪ The cake didn’t look very good, but it tasted all right.
▪ With his dark hair and dark eyes he looked Italian.
▪ I’m glad you’ve shaved off that beard. It makes you look ten years younger!
▷ look like /ˈlʊk laɪk/ [verb phrase]
to have an appearance that is similar to someone or something else :
▪ She looks a bit like my sister.
▪ They just look like ordinary people to me.
▪ In the moonlight the plane looked like a huge eagle soaring across the sky.