There are verbs in English that, when combined with prepositions or adverbs, form new meanings. Such verbs are called phrasal verbs, and in this article we will talk about a fairly common English verb to look, the main concepts of which are “see, look”. Let's see how the meanings of this verb change under the influence of the prepositions used with it.

Basic meanings of the phrasal verb look

• look at- to look, to look at someone or something. In this case, in combination with the preposition at , the meaning of the verb look does not change:

Look at that baby - look at that baby
Look at this picture - look at that picture

Google shortcode

Look at also means "pay attention, think about it":

Look at the meaning of this expression - Look at the meaning of this expression.

• look back- the combination of the verb look with the preposition back means “look back, remember” not only literally, but also figuratively.

When I look back into the past I remember all my mistakes
He looked back and saw his friend entering the shop.

• look for- a fairly common expression meaning "seek, expect, look for"

I look for the house to rent for the whole family
He is looking for his glasses - He is looking for his glasses.

• look after- expresses concern for someone - "look after, care for":

She looks after her sick mother
Please, look after my child while I go to the shop. Please watch my baby while I go shopping

• Look about / around- means "to look around, look around, look around":

He looked around as if was waiting for somebody - He looked around as if he was waiting for someone.

• Look down (on)- look with contempt, look down, look down:
  His parents looked down Anna - His parents looked down on Anna

• look ahead- to foresee, to look ahead (to the future):

Looking ahead I see you as a student - Looking ahead, I see you as a student -

• Look forward to- to look forward to, to look forward to. (Note that the ing form is used after looking forward to)

I am looking forward to meeting you in London - I will look forward to our meeting in London.
I am looking forward to Saturday to wear my new dress to the party - I am looking forward to Saturday to wear a new dress to the party.

• look in- to visit someone
  You must look in to see us - You must come to us
• look on- observe, consider someone, look at someone
  I look on them as my relatives - I consider them my relatives
• Look out for- look for, look for
  When you go out look out for Pete - When you go out look for Peter
• look through- look through, view
  I was looking through the old newspapers the whole day - I looked through old newspapers all day
• look up- look up information (in a dictionary, reference book)
  I looked up this information in the encyclopedia - I found this information in the encyclopedia

The complexity of phrasal verbs is that one small word completely changes the meaning of the expression. In addition, without knowing them, it is very difficult to guess how to use them.

In the article we will talk about the popular verb look and what meanings it acquires, being a phrasal one.

15 meanings of the phrasal verb look in English

So this phrasal verb is used like this:

1. Phrasal verb look around/round

Translation: look around, look around

Meaning: Look around / visit something

I would like to look around here.
I would like to take a look around here.

Look around you. What do you see?
Look around. What do you see?

2. Phrasal verb look after

Translation: look after someone

Meaning: take care of someone, worry about someone

She looks after her grandfather.
She looks after her grandfather.

We will look after children.
We will look after the children.

3. Phrasal verb look ahead

Translation: plan, foresee, envisage

Meaning: Think about what will happen in the future or plan for it

She looked ahead a travel.
She was planning a trip.

He always tries to look ahead problems.
He always tries to anticipate problems.

4. Phrasal verb look at

Translation: 1. Look at someone, look (read) 2. Think about something, ponder

Meaning: 1. Examine something or someone with your eyes 2. Think carefully about something in order to make a decision

look at the blackboard, please.
Look at the board, please.

She will look at the proposal.
She will consider this offer.

5. Phrasal verb look back

Translation: Reminisce, return to the past, look back

Meaning: Return thoughts to past events

He looked back on his childhood.
He reminisced about his childhood.

Never lookback on past.
Never look back at the past.

6. Phrasal verb look down (on)

Translation: Look down, look down

Meaning: To think that someone is less important than you

He looks down on his sister.
He looks down on his sister.

Don't look down on others.
Don't look down on others.

7. Phrasal verb look for

Translation: Search, search

Meaning: Trying to find something or someone

He was looking for you.
He was looking for you.

I am looking for my phone.
I am looking for my phone.

8. Phrasal verb look forward to

Translation: Looking forward to something

Meaning: Feel happy and excited about what is about to happen

They look forward to their holidays.
They are looking forward to their holidays.

I look forward to our meeting.
I am looking forward to our meeting.

9. Phrasal verb look in (on)

Translation: Look, go to someone

Meaning: Come to someone for a while

They looked in to see us.
They looked at us.

We will look in on you tomorrow.
We will visit you tomorrow.

10. Phrasal verb look into

Translation: Explore, study, study

Meaning: To study some facts, things, situation

We will look into these problems.
We are investigating these issues.

I will lookinto this issue.
I will study this issue.

11. Phrasal verb look on

Meaning: 1. Look at what is happening, but do not participate in it 2. Treat someone in a certain way in relation to yourself

She looked on their game.
She watched them play.

I look on him as a good friend.
I consider him a good friend.

12. Phrasal verb look out for

Translation: Look out for someone / something, look for (with eyes)

Meaning: Trying to notice someone or something

She tried to look out for him.
She tried to look for him.

lookoutfor Mary.
Look for Mary.

13. Phrasal verb look over (through)

Translation: Quickly view, check

Meaning: learn something fast

We look over the papers.
We are reviewing these papers.

Will you look over my report?
Will you check my report?

14. Phrasal verb look up

Translation: look for something

Meaning: Try to find information

look up the trains in the timetable.
Look for the trains on the schedule.

I will look up the word in a dictionary.
I will look up this word in the dictionary.

15. Phrasal verb look up to

Translation: respect, admire

Meaning: Show respect for someone

He looks up to his parents.
He respects his parents.

A lot of people look up to you.
A lot of people admire you.

So, we have considered 15 meanings of the phrasal verb look. Now let's practice using it.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments.

1. She will look after her younger sister.
2. Look at these photos.
3. I am looking for my glasses.
4. We are looking forward to the weekend.
5. He admires his father.

look verb is one of the most common in English. Difficulties with its understanding and use are mainly associated with phrasal verbs, which include look - their meanings are often far from “look”. In this article, we will analyze the main meanings of the verb look, its differences from similar words see, watch, as well as the phrasal verb look or, to be more precise, phrasal verbs that include look.

Meanings of the verb look

At the verb look two main meanings: look and look.

1. Look in the meaning of “look” is used with various prepositions.

• Look at - look at something:

What are you looking at? - What are you looking at?

I am looking at the picture. - I'm looking at the picture.

• Look into or in - look, peer into something:

The girl is looking into the sky. The girl is looking at the sky.

I'm looking in the mirror. – I look in the mirror.

• Look out (of something) - look out (from somewhere)

Look out of the window and answer the question. Look out the window and answer the question.

• Look away - turn away, look away:

Look, don't look away. “Look, don't look away.

I forced myself to look away and walk out of the room. I forced myself to turn away and leave the room.

• Look around - look around, look around:

Look around and name the thing that you see. Look around and name the things you see.

Note that some combinations of “verb + preposition” can form a phrasal verb and have a different meaning. For example, look out can be used literally or as a phrasal verb.

• Literally: look out - look out

Let's look out of the window. - Let's look out the window.

• As a phrasal verb: look out - to be afraid:

look out! It's gonna blow! - Watch out! Now it will explode!

The list of phrasal verbs with look is given below.

2. Look in the meaning of “look” is used without prepositions.

She looks good. – She looks good.

How does that building look like? - What does this building look like?

Difference between look, see, watch

Verb look often confused with similar verbs see, watch. The difference between them is about the same as between the words watch, see, observe In russian language.

• See- to see something. Not to actively observe, but simply to see.

I see you. - I can see you.

How many fingers do you see? How many fingers do you see?

• look- look at something. For example, look at a picture, a butterfly, a person.

The dog is looking at the cat. The dog is looking at the cat.

Tom is looking at the wallpapers. Tom is looking at the wallpaper.

• watch- observe something, follow, look in the meaning of “follow events”.

The dog is watching the cat. The dog is watching the cat.

Tom is watching the baseball match. Tom is watching a baseball game.

consist of a verb + a preposition/adverb. Phrasal verbs are not just combinations of words, but independent semantic units, they should be perceived as whole words.

• Look for - look for

I'm looking for a job. - I'm looking for a job.

What are you looking for? - What are you looking for?

• Look forward to \ be looking forward to - look forward to

Note: look forward to is followed by or (ends with -ing). “Look forward” sounds a bit more formal than “be looking forward”.

I am looking forward to visiting the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. I look forward to visiting the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

I look forward to your reply. - Looking forward to your response.

• Look after - look after, take care of someone, something

When my sister is out of town, I look after the cats. When my sister is out of town, I look after the cats.

Can you look after my bag, please? – Could you look after my bag?

• Look ahead - think ahead, plan for the future

I'm trying not to look ahead to what will happen when he leaves. “I try not to think ahead about what will happen when he leaves.

The house is big enough for us now, but we're looking ahead. The house is big enough for us now, but we are thinking about the future.

• Look over - check, study, view

look over the contract before you sign it. – Review the contract before signing it.

Can you look over my essay and tell me what do you think I need to improve? – Could you review my essay and tell me what you think I need to improve?

• Look up - 1) find information (usually a word in a dictionary), 2) find and visit someone

You should look up new words in your dictionary. You should look up (look up) new words in the dictionary.

We can look up the restaurant's address on the internet. We can find the addresses of restaurants on the Internet.

look me up if you are ever in Meterie. - Visit me if you ever visit Meteri.

• Look out - to be afraid of something

look out! There's a train coming! - Watch out! The train is coming!

• Look on - observe from the side without interfering

five people just looked on as the robbers got away with the money. - Five people just watched without interfering as the robbers fled with the money.

• Look down on - look down

Our boss looks down on us. Our boss looks down on us.

Many Americans used to look down on Japanese made cars. They don't now. “Many Americans looked down on Japanese cars. Not anymore.

• Look up to someone - deeply respect someone, admire

He has always looked up to his father - He always deeply respected his father.

I look up to my teacher. - I admire my teacher.

• Look back - remember, look back at the past (usually with nostalgia)

Note: the phrasal verb look back can be used with the prepositions on, at, over, upon - the meaning practically does not change. The “upon” option sounds a bit more formal.

When I look back on my time at university, it puts a smile on my face. - When I remember my studies at the university, it makes me smile.

It's easy to make judgments looking back at the past. - It is easy to judge by looking into the past.

• Look into - to study, investigate, check, establish facts about something like a problem or crime

I'll have to look into that matter. - I will have to deal with this issue (study it).

I wrote a letter of complaint, and the airline had promised to look into the matter. - I wrote a complaint and the airline promised to investigate this issue.

• Look to - expect, hope

He looked to hear from her within a week. He hoped she would answer within a week.

• Look to someone for something - turn to someone for something, rely on someone for something

many students look to their professors for academic advice. Many students turn to their teachers for advice on their studies.

They looked to the government for additional support. They turned to the government for additional support.

Friends! People often ask me, but now I am not engaged in tutoring. If you need a teacher, I HIGHLY recommend - there are native (and non-native) teachers there👅 for all occasions and for every pocket😄 I recommend this site, because I myself have gone through more than 80 lessons with the teachers I found there - and I advise try you!

Phrasal verbs occupy a separate niche in English, which will be not only useful to learn, but also informative. The peculiarity of phrasal verbs is that they consist of the main part - the verb, and the additional - prepositions, which can be a huge number. Due to this, the same word, just with different prepositions, can have a large number of meanings. Consider the phrasal verb look and give examples with its main meanings.

Let's start with the translation of the main word - to look. The word means to look, to see. This is a regular verb, past tense forms are formed by adding the ending -ed.

But! If we are talking about the phrasal verb look, then with prepositions the meaning will be completely different. Consider some of them with translation for a better understanding:

Look around/about

The meaning of this phrasal verb means to look at something, look at something

• Is it free of charge if we want to look around the ancient buildings? => Can we see the ancient buildings for free? (Don't you have to pay for this?)
• Sarah is still looking about for a better job => Sarah is still looking for a better job.

look ahead

Meaning - to foresee, to foresee, to look ahead (to the future)

• If looking ahead to the future, the society can be much more prosperous => Looking to the future, society can be much more prosperous.
• She likes to look ahead in imagination of what might happen if she did so or so => ​​She likes to look ahead, imagining what might happen if she did so or so.

look after

The meaning and translation is to look after someone (something), take care of someone, follow, look after:

• My grandma was looking after the child when I came in => When I came in, my grandmother was looking after the child.
• The friends were looking after the car as it was leaving faster and faster => Friends watched the car go faster and faster.

look in

Meaning - go to someone, look to someone:

• They had to look in to visit us, but they were too busy to spend their time on us
• The boy decided to look in to see her just for a minute => The guy decided to drop in on her to see her at least for a minute.

Look down (on)

The meaning is to look with contempt, to look down, to look down; fall, decline (in price):

• Well, frankly speaking, I look down on this agreement => Well, to be honest, I look at this agreement with contempt.
• She looked down towards the waves (