- look */*/*/
- I UK [lʊk] / US
verb
Word forms "look":
present tense I/you/we/they look he/she/it looks present participle looking past tense looked past participle looked1) [intransitive] to direct your eyes towards someone or something so that you can see themlook at:Looking closely you could see traces of grey in her hair.
Dan looked at his watch.
look down/away/through etc:Susannah looked at herself in the mirror.
If you look through this window, you can see the cathedral.
2) [intransitive] to search for someone or somethinglook for:I don't know where the keys are. I've looked everywhere.
look through/under/in etc:I spent most of the morning looking for my passport.
The burglar had looked through all the cupboards and drawers.
3) [linking verb] to have a particular appearanceThe room looked a complete mess.
look like:He looked about twenty.
look happy/tired/funny etc:"What does your brother look like?" "He's tall and thin, with brown hair."
look important/strange/interesting etc:He looked very funny in his hat.
look as if/as though:An important-looking letter arrived for Dave.
Brian looked as if he was going to cry.
a) look your age to look as old as you really areRichard doesn't look his age at all.
b) not look yourself to look different than you usually do, for example ill, tired, or unhappyHe didn't look himself when I saw him yesterday.
c) look your best to look as good as you canIt was a first date, and Emily wanted to look her best.
4) [linking verb] to think about something in a particular waylook at:John thinks that success is being rich, but I don't look at it like that.
5) [linking verb] to seem to be somethingThat new film looks good.
look a fool/idiot etc:Things were beginning to look a bit gloomy.
You've made me look such an idiot!
6) [linking verb] used for giving your opinion about how likely it is that something will happen or be truelook certain/unlikely etc to do something:it looks like/it looks as if (= it seems likely that):He looks certain to win the competition.
look like doing something (= seem as though something will happen):It looks like Bill will be able to come too.
Arsenal never looked like winning the game.
7) [intransitive, always in imperative] spoken used when you want someone to look at something surprising or interestingLook! There's John!
a) used for making a suggestion or when you want someone to pay attention to what you are going to sayLook, why don't we meet up for a drink and talk about it then?
b) look what/howspoken used for giving an example that proves that what you are saying is trueIt's not a good idea to travel without insurance: look what happened to Bill.
Look how long it took Mel to get a job.
8) [intransitive] if a building or room looks in a particular direction, it faces that directionlook north/south etc:look out over something:He strolled towards the huge windows that looked south across London.
My room looked out over the lake.
•(I'm) just looking
— spoken used for telling someone who works in a shop that you do not yet know whether you want to buy anythinglook good/bad
— to be considered a good/bad thing to do; to seem to be going to have a good/bad resultlook good/bad for:Do you think it will look bad if I don't go and see him?
Things aren't looking too good for him at the moment.
look here!
— old-fashioned used for getting someone's attention when you are angry or annoyed about something that they have doneLook here, we are not the ones to blame for this situation.
look someone in the eye/face
— informal to look at someone when you are talking to them, especially to show that what you are saying is trueCan you look me in the eye and say that you really love him?
look what you're doing/where you're going
— spoken used for telling someone to be more carefulLook what you're doing! You nearly knocked the lamp off the table.
Phrasal verbs:look who's here/look who it is
— spoken used when someone arrives and you are surprised- look at- look for- look in- look on- look out- look to- look up
II UK [lʊk] / US noun
Word forms "look":
singular look plural looks1) [countable, usually singular] an act of looking at someone or somethinghave/take a look at:have a good/close look (= look carefully):Can I have a look at your new skateboard?
He got out of the car so he could have a closer look.
2) [countable, usually singular] an expression that you have on your face or in your eyesa look on someone's face:a look in someone's eyes:I could tell by the look on his face that he was not happy.
give someone a look (= look at them in a particular way):He had that look in his eyes that always meant trouble.
a dirty look (= an unfriendly look):She gave me a worried look.
a look of surprise/horror/disgust etc:I don't know why he's giving me such dirty looks.
She saw the look of surprise on Nicky's face.
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Collocations:
Adjectives frequently used with look
▪ dirty, knowing, puzzled, questioning, quizzical, searching, thoughtful, withering3) [countable, usually singular] the appearance that someone or something hashave a ... look about/to it:by the look(s) of:The town had a very run-down look about it.
not like the look of someone/something (= think they look bad, unpleasant etc):By the looks of him, he hadn't had a wash for days.
I don't like the look of him.
a) looks[plural] the attractive appearance of someone, especially their facelose your looks:She's got everything – looks, intelligence, and money.
Even as she grew older, she never lost her looks.
b) [countable] a particular style in clothes, furniture etcLet us help you to create a stylish modern look for your home.
4) [countable, usually singular] an act of searching for someone or somethinghave a look for:I don't know where the book is, but I'll have a look for it.
5) [countable, usually singular] an act of thinking carefully about a problem or situationtake/have a look at something:take a (long) hard look at something (= think very carefully and seriously about it):We need to have a look at the way we deal with orders.
take a fresh look at something (= think about it again in a different way):You seem to be permanently stressed out – I think you should take a long hard look at your life.
Insurance companies are taking a fresh look at Singapore's earthquake risks.
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English dictionary. 2014.