Phrasal verb
Phrasal verbs with look
By EasySay. Published . Updated .
Look is the verb of seeing, but most of its phrasal verbs are not about eyes at all.
Look after means to care for, look up means to search, and look forward to means to wait with excitement. This page explains eight meanings of look, with a pattern and an example for each, and a five-question check.
Written for EasySay, in our own words.
In short
- Patternlook after sb/sth
- Patternlook sth up
look: what it is, and what it is not
- IS
- look after sb/sth: take care of a person, an animal or a place.
- IS
- look sth up: search for information in a book, a list or online.
- IS
- look forward to sth: wait with happy excitement for something.
- IS
- look sth up: the object can go between look and up.
- IS NOT
- look after sb/sth: the object cannot go in the middle; it stays after the small words.
- IS NOT
- The plain verb: look with a small word takes a new meaning, such as take care of a person, an animal or a place.
Look forward to: what it is, and what it is not
- IS
- Wait with happy excitement for something: look forward to sth.
- IS NOT
- About using your eyes: look on its own is about the eyes, and with forward to it is about waiting with excitement.
- IS NOT
- look forward to sth: the object cannot go in the middle; it stays after the small words.
Meaning: Look on its own is about using your eyes. With small words it can mean to care for, to search, to wait with excitement, to warn of danger, to investigate, to check and more.
How do people say it?
- Take care of a person, an animal or a place:
Can you look after my cat while I am away?
- Search for information in a book, a list or online:
If you do not know the word, look it up in a dictionary.
Check yourself
What should I know?
What does it mean, and how is it used?
| Meaning | Object in the middle? | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take care of a person, an animal or a place | No | look after sb/sth |
|
| Search for information in a book, a list or online | Yes | look sth up |
|
| Wait with happy excitement for something | No | look forward to sth |
|
| Be careful because there is danger | No | look out |
|
| Investigate a problem or a complaint | No | look into sth |
|
| Check something quickly from start to finish | Yes | look sth over |
|
| Believe that someone is less important than you | No | look down on sb |
|
| Try to find something you have lost or need | No | look for sth |
|
Map of the small words
- lookafter
- Take care of a person, an animal or a placelook after sb/sthObject goes after
- lookup
- Search for information in a book, a list or onlinelook sth upObject can go in the middle
- lookforward to
- Wait with happy excitement for somethinglook forward to sthObject goes after
- lookout
- Be careful because there is dangerlook outObject goes after
- lookinto
- Investigate a problem or a complaintlook into sthObject goes after
- lookover
- Check something quickly from start to finishlook sth overObject can go in the middle
- lookdown on
- Believe that someone is less important than youlook down on sbObject goes after
- lookfor
- Try to find something you have lost or needlook for sthObject goes after
Small words used with it
- after
- up
- forward
- out
- into
- over
- down
- for
Look is the verb of seeing, but most of its phrasal verbs are not about eyes at all. Look after is about care, look forward to is about feeling, and look into is about finding facts. When a sentence with look makes no sense as seeing, check the table for a phrasal verb that fits.
Two meanings let you put the object in the middle: look up and look over. You look a word up, and you look an application over.
A pronoun must go in the middle, so say look it up and look it over. The other six keep the small word next to look, so you say look after it, look into it and look for it.
Look forward to is the one learners most often get wrong, because the to is a preposition and not part of a verb. After it, use a noun or a word ending in ing.
Say I am looking forward to the weekend, or I am looking forward to meeting you. Do not say I look forward to meet you. Look out is a short warning, and people say it when they want someone to stop straight away.
Look for and look up are close in meaning. You look for something when you do not know where it is, such as keys, a flat or a job.
You look something up when you know where the answer is written, such as in a dictionary or on a timetable. Look down on describes a disapproving attitude, as in advice such as do not look down on others. Its opposite, look up to, means to admire someone.
Other base verbs
Questions people ask
What is the difference between look for and look up?
Look for means to try to find something you cannot see or do not have, such as keys or a job. Look up means to find a fact in a place where it is written, such as a dictionary, a list or a website.
Is it look forward to meet or look forward to meeting?
Say look forward to meeting. The word to is a preposition in this phrase, so a verb after it ends in ing. You can also use a noun: I am looking forward to the weekend.
Can the object go in the middle with look after?
No. With look after, the person or thing comes after the small word: look after the baby. A pronoun comes after it too: look after her.
What does look out mean?
Look out is a short warning that means be careful. People say it when something dangerous is close, such as a car or a falling box. It has no object.
Sources and dates
- EasySay's own writing for the phrasal verbs, EasySay. Licence: original writing for EasySay. Checked .
Cite this page
EasySay. "Phrasal verbs with look". https://easysay.org/phrasal-verbs/look. Last updated 23 October 2026.
https://easysay.org/phrasal-verbs/look