9 CONVENTION You say look when you want someone to pay attention to you because you are going to say something important. □ Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. □ Now, look, here is how things stand.
10 VERB You can use look to draw attention to a particular situation, person, or thing, for example because you find it very surprising, significant, or annoying. □ [V + at ] Hey, look at the time! We'll talk about it tonight. All right? □ [V wh] Look what a mess you've made of your life.
11 VERB If something such as a building or window looks somewhere, it has a view of a particular place. □ [V prep] The castle looks over private parkland. ● PHRASAL VERB Look out means the same as look . □ [V P prep] We sit on the terrace, which looks out on the sea.
12 VERB If you are looking to do something, you are aiming to do it. □ [V to-inf] We're not looking to make a fortune.
13 EXCLAM If you say or shout ' look out! ' to someone, you are warning them that they are in danger. □ 'Look out!' somebody shouted, as the truck started to roll toward the sea.
14 to look down your nose at someone → see nose
▸ look after
1 PHRASAL VERB If you look after someone or something, you do what is necessary to keep them healthy, safe, or in good condition. □ [V P n] I love looking after the children. □ [V P n] People don't look after other people's property in the same way as they look after their own.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you look after something, you are responsible for it and deal with it or make sure it is all right, especially because it is your job to do so. □ [V P n] …the farm manager who looks after the day-to-day organization. □ [V P n] We'll help you look after your finances.
▸ look ahead PHRASAL VERB If you look ahead , you think about what is going to happen in the future and perhaps make plans for the future. □ [V P ] I'm trying to look ahead at what might happen and be ready to handle it.
▸ look around in BRIT, also use look round PHRASAL VERB If you look around or look round a building or place, you walk round it and look at the different parts of it. □ [V P n] We went to look round the show homes. □ [V P ] I'm going to look around and see what I can find.
▸ look back PHRASAL VERB If you look back , you think about things that happened in the past. □ [V P ] Looking back, I am staggered how easily it was all arranged.
▸ look down on PHRASAL VERB To look down on someone means to consider that person to be inferior or unimportant, usually when this is not true. □ [V P P n] I wasn't successful, so they looked down on me.
▸ look forward to
1 PHRASAL VERB If you look forward to something that is going to happen, you want it to happen because you think you will enjoy it. □ [V P P v-ing/n] He was looking forward to working with the new Prime Minister.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you say that someone is looking forward to something useful or positive, you mean they expect it to happen. □ [V P P n] Motor traders are looking forward to a further increase in vehicle sales.
▸ look into PHRASAL VERB If a person or organization is looking into a possible course of action, a problem, or a situation, they are finding out about it and examining the facts relating to it. □ [V P v-ing/n] He had once looked into buying his own island off Nova Scotia.
▸ look on PHRASAL VERB If you look on while something happens, you watch it happening without taking part yourself. □ [V P ] About 150 local people looked on in silence as the two coffins were taken into the church.
▸ look on or look upon PHRASAL VERB If you look on or look upon someone or something in a particular way, you think of them in that way. □ [V P n + as ] A lot of people looked on him as a healer. □ [V P n prep/adv] A lot of people look on it like that. □ [V P n] Employers look favourably on applicants who have work experience.
▸ look out → see look ➊ 11
▸ look out for PHRASAL VERB If you look out for something, you pay attention to things so that you notice it if or when it occurs. □ [V P P n] Look out for special deals.
▸ look over PHRASAL VERB If you look something over , you examine it quite quickly in order to get a general idea of what it is like. □ [V n P ] They presented their draft to the president, who looked it over, nodded and signed it. □ [V P n] He could have looked over the papers in less than ten minutes.
▸ look round → see look around
▸ look through
1 PHRASAL VERB If you look through a group of things, you examine each one so that you can find or choose the one that you want. □ [V P n] Peter starts looking through the mail as soon as the door shuts.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you look through something that has been written or printed, you read it. □ [V P n] He happened to be looking through the medical book 'Gray's Anatomy' at the time.
▸ look to
1 PHRASAL VERB If you look to someone or something for a particular thing that you want, you expect or hope that they will provide it. □ [V P n] We look to others for support, for example in online groups.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you look to something that will happen in the future, you think about it. □ [V P n] As an organisation we are looking to the future.
▸ look up
1 PHRASAL VERB If you look up a fact or a piece of information, you find it out by looking in something such as a reference book or a list. □ [V n P ] I looked your address up in the personnel file. □ [V P n] Many people have to look up the meaning of this word in the dictionary.