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look

[loo

–verb (used without object)

1.	to turn one's eyes toward something or in some direction in order to see: He looked toward the western horizon and saw the returning planes.

2.	to glance or gaze in a manner specified: to look questioningly at a person.

3.	to use one's sight or vision in seeking, searching, examining, watching, etc.: to look through the papers.

4.	to tend, as in bearing or significance: Conditions look toward war.

5.	to appear or seem to the eye as specified: to look pale.

6.	to appear or seem to the mind: The case looks promising.

7.	to direct attention or consideration: to look at the facts.

8.	to have an outlook or afford a view: The window looks upon the street.

9.	to face or front: The house looks to the east.

–verb (used with object)

10.	to give (someone) a look: He looked me straight in the eye.

11.	to have an appearance appropriate to or befitting (something): She looked her age.

12.	to appear to be; look like: He looked a perfect fool, coming to the party a day late.

13.	to express or suggest by looks: to look one's annoyance at a person.

14.	Archaic. to bring, put, etc., by looks.

–noun

15.	the act of looking: a look of inquiry.

16.	a visual search or examination.

17.	the way in which a person or thing appears to the eye or to the mind; aspect: He has the look of an honest man. The tablecloth has a cheap look.

18.	an expressive glance: to give someone a sharp look.

19.

looks,

a.	general aspect; appearance: to like the looks of a place.

b.	attractive, pleasing appearance.

—Verb phrases

20.

look after,

a.	to follow with the eye, as someone or something moving away: She looked after him as he walked toward the train station.

b.	to pay attention to; concern oneself with: to look after one's own interests.

c.	to take care of; minister to: to look after a child.

21.	look back, to review past events; return in thought: When I look back on our school days, it seems as if they were a century ago.

22.	look down on or upon, to regard with scorn or disdain; have contempt for: They look down on all foreigners.

23.

look for,

a.	to seek; search for: Columbus was looking for a shorter route to India when he discovered America.

b.	to anticipate; expect: I'll be looking for you at the reception.

24.

look in,

a.	Also, look into. to look briefly inside of: Look in the jar and tell me if any cookies are left.

b.	Also, look in on. to visit (a person, place, etc.) briefly: I'll look in some day next week.

25.	look into, to inquire into; investigate; examine: The auditors are looking into the records to find the cause of the discrepancy.

26.

look on or upon,

a.	to be a spectator; watch: The crowd looked on at the street brawl.

b.	to consider; regard: They look upon gambling as sinful.

27.

look out,

a.	to look to the outside, as from a window or a place of observation: From her office window, she could look out over the bustling city.

b.	to be vigilant or on guard: Look out, there are dangers ahead.

c.	to afford a view; face: The room looks out on the garden.

28.	look out for, to take watchful care of; be concerned about: He has to look out for his health.

29.	look over, to examine, esp. briefly: Will you please look over my report before I submit it?

30.

look to,

a.	to direct one's glance or gaze to: If you look to your left, you can see the Empire State Building.

b.	to pay attention to: Look to your own affairs and stay out of mine.

c.	to direct one's expectations or hopes to: We look to the day when world peace will be a reality.

d.	to regard with expectation and anticipation: We look to the future and greater advances in science and technology.

31.

look up,

a.	to direct the eyes upward; raise one's glance: The other guests looked up as she entered the room.

b.	to become better or more prosperous; improve: Business is looking up.

c.	to search for, as an item of information, in a reference book or the like: Look up the answer in the encyclopedia.

d.	to seek out, esp. to visit: to look up an old friend.

e.	Nautical. (of a sailing ship) to head more nearly in the direction of its destination after a favoring change of wind.

32.	look up to, to regard with admiration or respect; esteem: A boy needs a father he can look up to.

—Idioms

33.	look daggers, to look at someone with a furious, menacing expression: I could see my partner looking daggers at me.

34.	look down one's nose at, to regard with an overbearing attitude of superiority, disdain, or censure: The more advanced students really looked down their noses at the beginners.

35.	look forward to, to anticipate with eagerness or pleasure: I always look forward to your visits.

36.

look sharp,

a.	to be alert and quick: If you want to get ahead, you must look sharp.

b.	Also, British, look slippy. to hurry: You'd better look sharp! It's getting late.

Origin:
bef. 900; (v.) ME lōk(i)en, OE lōcian; c. MD lœken, akin to dial. G lugen to look out; (n.) ME loke act of looking, glance, countenance, deriv. of the v.

Synonyms:
1. See watch. 6. See seem. 16. gaze, glance. 17. appearance, air.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To look

look (lŏŏk)

v. looked, look·ing, looks

v. intr.

1. To employ one's sight, especially in a given direction or on a given object: looking out the window; looked at the floor.
2. To search: We looked all afternoon but could not find it.
3. To turn one's glance or gaze: looked to the right.
4. To turn one's attention; attend: looked to his neglected guitar during vacation; looked at the evidence.
5. To turn one's expectations: looked to us for a solution.
1. To turn one's glance or gaze: looked to the right.
2. To turn one's attention; attend: looked to his neglected guitar during vacation; looked at the evidence.
3. To turn one's expectations: looked to us for a solution.
To seem or appear to be: look morose. See Synonyms at seem.
To face in a specified direction: The cottage looks on the river.

v. tr.

To turn one's eyes on: looked him in the eye.
To convey by one's expression: looked annoyance at the judge; looked his devotion to me.
1. To have an appearance of conformity with: He looks his age. She dressed up to look the part.
2. To appear to be: looked the fool in one version of the story.

1. The act or instance of looking: I took just one look and I was sure.
2. A gaze or glance expressive of something: gave her a mournful look.
3. Appearance or aspect: a look of great age.
4. looks Physical appearance, especially when pleasing.
5. A distinctive, unified manner of dress or fashion: the preferred look for this fall.
1. Appearance or aspect: a look of great age.
2. looks Physical appearance, especially when pleasing.
3. A distinctive, unified manner of dress or fashion: the preferred look for this fall.
To search for; seek: looking for my gloves.
To expect: Look for a change of weather in March.
To expect or hope to: He looked to hear from her within a week.
To seem about to; promise to: "an 'Action Program,' which ... looked to reduce tariffs on over 1,800 items" (Alan D. Romberg).
To search for and find, as in a reference book.
To visit: look up an old friend.
To become better; improve: Things are at last looking up.

Phrasal Verb(s):
look afterTo take care of: looked after his younger brother.
look for

To search for; seek: looking for my gloves.
To expect: Look for a change of weather in March.

look intoTo inquire into; investigate: The police looked into the disturbance.
look on/uponTo regard in a certain way: looked on them as incompetents.
look outTo be watchful or careful; take care: If you don't look out, you may fall on the ice. We looked out for each other on the trip.
look overTo examine or inspect, often in hasty fashion: looked over the proposal before the meeting.
look to Usage Problem

To expect or hope to: He looked to hear from her within a week.
To seem about to; promise to: "an 'Action Program,' which ... looked to reduce tariffs on over 1,800 items" (Alan D. Romberg).

look up

To search for and find, as in a reference book.
To visit: look up an old friend.
To become better; improve: Things are at last looking up.

Idiom(s):
look a gift horse in the mouth Informal To be critical or suspicious of something one has received without expense.

Idiom(s):
look alive/sharp Informal To act or respond quickly: Look alive! We leave in five minutes.

Idiom(s):
look down on/uponTo regard with contempt or condescension.

Idiom(s):
look down (one's) nose at/onTo regard with contempt or condescension.

Idiom(s):
look forward toTo think of (a future event) with pleasurable, eager anticipation: looking forward to graduation.

Idiom(s):
look in onTo visit: I look in on my grandparents each weekend.

Idiom(s):
look the other wayTo deliberately overlook something: knew the student was cheating but decided to look the other way.

Idiom(s):
look up toTo admire: looked up to her mother.

[Middle English loken, from Old English lōcian.]

Usage Note: The phrasal verb look to has recently developed the meanings "expect to" and "hope to," as in The executives look to increase sales once the economy improves or I'm looking to sell my car in July. In a recent survey, the Usage Panel was divided almost evenly on this usage, with 52 percent of the Panelists finding it acceptable and 48 percent rejecting it. Of those rejecting this usage, a small number volunteered that they would find it acceptable in informal speech, and in fact the divided response of the Panel may be due in part to the informal flavor of this phrase.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Look

Look\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Looked; p. pr. & vb. n. Looking.] [OE. loken, AS. l[=o]cian; akin to G. lugen, OHG. luog[=e]n.]

1. To direct the eyes for the purpose of seeing something; to direct the eyes toward an object; to observe with the eyes while keeping them directed; -- with various prepositions, often in a special or figurative sense. See Phrases below.

2. To direct the attention (to something); to consider; to examine; as, to look at an action.

3. To seem; to appear; to have a particular appearance; as, the patient looks better; the clouds look rainy.

It would look more like vanity than gratitude. --Addison.

Observe how such a practice looks in another person. --I. Watts.

4. To have a particular direction or situation; to face; to front.

The inner gate that looketh to north. --Ezek. viii. 3.

The east gate . . . which looketh eastward. --Ezek. xi. 1.

5. In the imperative: see; behold; take notice; take care; observe; -- used to call attention.

Look, how much we thus expel of sin, so much we expel of virtue. --Milton.

Note: Look, in the imperative, may be followed by a dependent sentence, but see is oftener so used.

Look that ye bind them fast. --Shak.

Look if it be my daughter. --Talfourd.

6. To show one's self in looking, as by leaning out of a window; as, look out of the window while I speak to you. Sometimes used figuratively.

My toes look through the overleather. --Shak.

7. To await the appearance of anything; to expect; to anticipate.

Looking each hour into death's mouth to fall. --Spenser.

To look about, to look on all sides, or in different directions.

To look about one, to be on the watch; to be vigilant; to be circumspect or guarded.

To look after. (a) To attend to; to take care of; as, to look after children. (b) To expect; to be in a state of expectation.

Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. --Luke xxi. 26. (c) To seek; to search.

My subject does not oblige me to look after the water, or point forth the place where to it is now retreated. --Woodward.

To look at, to direct the eyes toward so that one sees, or as if to see; as, to look at a star; hence, to observe, examine, consider; as, to look at a matter without prejudice.

To look black, to frown; to scowl; to have a threatening appearance.

The bishops thereat repined, and looked black. --Holinshed.

To look down on or upon, to treat with indifference or contempt; to regard as an inferior; to despise.

To look for. (a) To expect; as, to look for news by the arrival of a ship. "Look now for no enchanting voice." --Milton. (b) To seek for; to search for; as, to look for lost money, or lost cattle.

To look forth. (a) To look out of something, as from a window. (b) To threaten to come out. --Jer. vi. 1. (Rev. Ver.).

To look into, to inspect closely; to observe narrowly; to examine; as, to look into the works of nature; to look into one's conduct or affairs.

To look on. (a) To regard; to esteem.

Her friends would look on her the worse. --Prior. (b) To consider; to view; to conceive of; to think of.

I looked on Virgil as a succinct, majestic writer. --Dryden. (c) To be a mere spectator.

I'll be a candleholder, and look on. --Shak.

To look out, to be on the watch; to be careful; as, the seaman looks out for breakers.

To look through. (a) To see through. (b) To search; to examine with the eyes.

To look to or unto. (a) To watch; to take care of. "Look well to thy herds." --Prov. xxvii. 23. (b) To resort to with expectation of receiving something; to expect to receive from; as, the creditor may look to surety for payment. "Look unto me, and be ye saved." --Is. xlv. 22.

To look up, to search for or find out by looking; as, to look up the items of an account.

To look up to, to respect; to regard with deference.

Look

Look\, v. t. 1. To look at; to turn the eyes toward.

2. To seek; to search for. [Obs.]

Looking my love, I go from place to place. --Spenser.

3. To expect. [Obs.] --Shak.

4. To influence, overawe, or subdue by looks or presence as, to look down opposition.

A spirit fit to start into an empire, And look the world to law. --Dryden.

5. To express or manifest by a look.

Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spake again. --Byron.

To look daggers. See under Dagger.

To look in the face, to face or meet with boldness or confidence; hence, sometimes, to meet for combat.

To look out, to seek for; as, prudent persons look out associates good reputation.

Look

Look\, n. 1. The act of looking; a glance; a sight; a view; -- often in certain phrases; as, to have, get, take, throw, or cast, a look.

Threw many a northward look to see his father Bring up his powers; but he did long in vain. --Shak.

2. Expression of the eyes and face; manner; as, a proud or defiant look. "Gentle looks." --Shak.

Up ! up! my friends, and clear your looks. --Wordsworth.

3. Hence; Appearance; aspect; as, the house has a gloomy look; the affair has a bad look.

Pain, disgrace, and poverty have frighted looks. --Locke.

There was something that reminded me of Dante's Hell in the look of this. --Carlyle.

Language Translation for : look

Spanish: mirar,

German: schauen,

Japanese: 見る

More Translations »

look (v.)

O.E. locian "see, gaze, look, spy," from W.Gmc. *lokjan (cf. O.S. lokon, M.Du. loeken, O.H.G. luogen, Ger. dial. lugen "to look out"), of unknown origin, perhaps cognate with Bret. lagud "eye." In O.E., usually with on; the use of at began 14c. Meaning "to have a certain appearance" is from c.1400. Noun meaning "an act of looking" is c.1200; meaning "appearance of a person" is from c.1385. To look down upon in the fig. sense is from 1711; to look down one's nose is from 1921; looker "attractive woman" is from 1893; look-see (n.) "inspection" first recorded 1883. In look sharp (1711) sharp originally was an adv. "sharply." Look after "take care of" is from 1375; look into "investigate" is from 1586; to not look back "make no pauses" is colloquial, first attested 1893. Look up "research in books or papers" is from 1692. Look-alike (n.) "someone who closely resembles another" is 1947, Amer.Eng. Looking-glass first attested 1526. Look-out "person who stands watch or acts as a scout" is from 1699.

look

A price and size quotation for a security. For example, a floor broker may ask for a look at General Motors.

LOOK
A specification language.
["A Look at Algebraic Specifications", S.N. Zilles et al, IBM RR, 1982].
(1994-11-16)

look

In addition to the idioms beginning with look, also see (look on the) bright side; dirty look; make someone look good; take a look at; things are looking up.

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