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Webster 1913 Edition

Look

Look

(loŏk)
,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Looked
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Looking
.]
[OE.
loken
, AS.
lōcian
; akin to G.
lugen
, OHG.
luogēn
.]
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.
☞ Look, in the imperative, may be followed by a dependent sentence, but see is oftener so used.
Look
that ye bind them fast.
Shakespeare
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.
Shakespeare
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.

(c)
To seek; to search.
–
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.
–
To look down on
or
To look down 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 forward to
.
To anticipate with an expectation of pleasure; to be eager for;
as, I am
looking forward to
your visit
.
–
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.
(b)
To consider; to view; to conceive of; to think of.
(c)
To be a mere spectator.
–
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
To look 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

,
Verb.
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; to search out;
as, prudent persons
look out
associates of good reputation
.

Look

,
Noun.
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.
Shakespeare
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.

Webster 1828 Edition

Look

LOOK

,
Verb.
I.
[See Light. The primary sense is to stretch, to extend, to shoot, hence to direct the eye. We observe its primary sense is nearly the same as that of seek. Hence, to look for is to seek.]
1.
To direct the eye towards an object, with the intention of seeing it.
When the object is within sight, look is usually followed by on or at. We look on or at a picture; we look on or at the moon; we cannot look on or at the unclouded sun, without pain.
At, after look, is not used in our version of the Scriptures. In common usage, at or on is now used indifferently in many cases, and yet in other cases, usage has established a preference. In general, on is used in the more solemn forms of expression. Moses was afraid to look on God. The Lord look on you and judge. In these and similar phrases, the use of at would be condemned, as expressing too little solemnity.
In some cases, at seems to be more properly used before very distant objects; but the cases can hardly be defined.
The particular direction of the eye is expressed by various modifying words; as, to look down, to look up, to look back to look forward, to look from, to look round, to look out, to look under. When the object is not in sight, look is followed by after, or for. Hence, to look after, or look for, is equivalent to seek or search, or to expect.
2.
To see; to have the sight or view of.
Fate sees thy life lodged in a brittle glass, and looks it through, but to it cannot pass.
3.
To direct the intellectual eye; to apply the mind or understanding; to consider; to examine. Look at the conduct of this man; view it in all its aspects. Let every man look into the state of his own heart. Let us look beyond the received notions of men on this subject.
4.
To expect.
He must look to fight another battle, before he could reach Oxford. [Little used.
5.
To take care; to watch.
Look that ye bind them fast.
6.
To be directed.
Let thine eyes look right on. Prov. 4.
7.
To seem; to appear; to have a particular appearance. The patient looks better than he did. The clouds look rainy.
I am afraid it would look more like vanity than gratitude.
Observe how such a practice looks in another person.
So we say, to look stout or big; to look peevish; to look pleasant or graceful.
8.
To have a particular direction or situation; to face; to front.
The gate that looketh toward the north. Ezek. 8.
The east gate of the Lord's house, that looketh eastward. Ezek. 11.
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.
1.
To look after, to attend; to take care of; as, to look after children.
2.
To expect; to be in a state of expectation.
Men's hearts falling them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. Luke 21.
3.
To seek; to search.
My subject does not oblige me to look after the water, or point forth the place whereunto it has now retreated.
1.
To look for, to expect; as, to look for news by the arrival of a ship.
Look now for no enchanting voice.
2.
To seek; to search; as, to look for lost money, or lost cattle.
To look into, to inspect closely; to observe narrowly; to examine; as, to look into the works of nature; to look into the conduct of another; to look into one's affairs.
Which things the angels desire to look into. 1Peter 1.
1.
To look on, to regard; to esteem.
Her friends would look on her the worse.
2.
To consider; to view; to conceive of; to think.
I looked on Virgil as a succinct, majestic writer.
3.
To be a mere spectator.
I'll be a candle-holder and look on.
To look over, to examine one by one; as, to look over a catalogue of books; to look over accounts.
To overlook, has a different sense, to pass over without seeing.
To look out, to be on the watch. The seaman looks out for breakers.
1.
To look to, or unto, to watch; to take care of.
Look well to thy herds. Prov. 27.
2.
To resort to with confidence or expectation of receiving something; to expect to receive from. The creditor may look to the surety for payment.
Look to me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. Is. 45.
To look through, to penetrate with the eye, or with the understanding; to see or understand perfectly.

LOOK

, v.t.
1.
To seek; to search for.
Looking my love, I go from place to place. Obs.
2.
To influence by looks or presence; as, to look down opposition.
A spirit fit to start into an empire, and look the world to law.
To look out, to search for and discover. Look out associates of good reputation.
To look one another in the face, to meet for combat.
2Kings 14.

LOOK

, in the imperative, is used to excite attention or notice. Look ye, look you; that is see, behold, observe, take notice.

LOOK

, n.
1.
Cast of countenance; air of the face; aspect; as, a high look is an index of pride; a downcast look is an index of pride; a downcast look indicates modesty, bashfulness, or depression of mind.
Pain, disgrace and poverty have frightful looks.
2.
The act of looking or seeing. Every look filled him with anguish.
3.
View; watch.

Definition 2024

Look

Look

See also: look and löök

English

Proper noun

Look

  1. A surname​.

Etymology 2

From the Cantonese surname 陸.

Proper noun

Look

  1. A surname​.

look

look

See also: löök and Look

English

Verb

look ‎(third-person singular simple present looks, present participle looking, simple past and past participle looked)

  1. (intransitive, often with "at") To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes.
    Look at my new car!  Don’t look in the closet.‎
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:
      Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. […] She looked around expectantly, and recognizing Mrs. Cooke's maid […] Miss Thorn greeted her with a smile which greatly prepossessed us in her favor.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 10, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      He looked round the poor room, at the distempered walls, and the bad engravings in meretricious frames, the crinkly paper and wax flowers on the chiffonier; and he thought of a room like Father Bryan's, with panelling, with cut glass, with tulips in silver pots, such a room as he had hoped to have for his own.
  2. To appear, to seem.
    It looks as if it’s going to rain soon.‎
    • 170?, Joseph Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c., Dedication
      […] but should I publish any favours done me by your Lordship, I am afraid it would look more like vanity than gratitude.
    • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 29686887 , chapter IV:
      So this was my future home, I thought! […] Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 2, in The China Governess:
      Now that she had rested and had fed from the luncheon tray Mrs. Broome had just removed, she had reverted to her normal gaiety.  She looked cool in a grey tailored cotton dress with a terracotta scarf and shoes and her hair a black silk helmet.
    • 2012, Chelsea 6-0 Wolves
      Chelsea's youngsters, who looked lively throughout, then combined for the second goal in the seventh minute. Romeu's shot was saved by Wolves goalkeeper Dorus De Vries but Piazon kept the ball alive and turned it back for an unmarked Bertrand to blast home.
  3. (copulative) To give an appearance of being.
    That painting looks nice.‎
  4. (intransitive, often with "for") To search for, to try to find.
  5. To face or present a view.
    The hotel looks over the valleys of the HinduKush.‎
    • Bible, Ezekiel xi. 1
      the east gate […] which looketh eastward
  6. To expect or anticipate.
    I look to each hour for my lover’s arrival.‎
    • Edmund Spenser (c.1552–1599)
      looking each hour into death's mouth to fall
  7. (transitive) To express or manifest by a look.
    • Lord Byron (1788-1824)
      Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spake again.
    • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, chapter 6, Monk Samson:
      Once, slipping the money clandestinely, just in the act of taking leave, he slipt it not into her hand but on the floor, and another had it; whereupon the poor Monk, coming to know it, looked mere despair for some days […].
  8. (transitive, often with "to") To make sure of, to see to.
    • 1898, Homer, Samuel Butler (translator), The Odyssey
      "Look to it yourself, father," answered Telemachus, "for they say you are the wisest counsellor in the world, and that there is no other mortal man who can compare with you. […]
  9. (dated, sometimes figuratively) To show oneself in looking.
    Look out of the window [i.e. lean out] while I speak to you.‎
  10. (transitive, obsolete) To look at; to turn the eyes toward.
    • 1915, Emerson Hough, The Purchase Price, chapterI:
      Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. […] She put back a truant curl from her forehead where it had sought egress to the world, and looked him full in the face now, […].
  11. (transitive, obsolete) To seek; to search for.
    • Edmund Spenser (c.1552–1599)
      Looking my love, I go from place to place.
  12. (transitive, obsolete) To expect.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
  13. (transitive, obsolete) To influence, overawe, or subdue by looks or presence.
    to look down opposition‎
    • John Dryden (1631-1700)
      A spirit fit to start into an empire, / And look the world to law.
  14. (baseball) To look at a pitch as a batter without swinging at it.
    The fastball caught him looking.‎
    Clem Labine struck Mays out looking at his last at bat.‎
    It's unusual for Mays to strike out looking. He usually takes a cut at it.‎

Conjugation

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

look

  1. Pay attention.
    Look, I'm going to explain what to do, so you have to listen closely.‎

Noun

look ‎(plural looks)

  1. The action of looking, an attempt to see.
    Let’s have a look under the hood of the car.‎
  2. (often plural) Physical appearance, visual impression.
    She got her mother’s looks.‎
    I don’t like the look of the new design.‎
    • 1909, Archibald Marshall, The Squire's Daughter, chapterI:
      He tried to persuade Cicely to stay away from the ball-room for a fourth dance. […] But she said she must go back, and when they joined the crowd again her partner was haled off with a frightened look to the royal circle, […].‎
  3. A facial expression.
    He gave me a dirty look.‎
    If looks could kill ...‎

Derived terms

Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: told · both · having · #199: look · heard · night · mind

Anagrams

References

  1. ↑ Philippa, M.; Debrabandere, F.; Quak, A.; Schoonheim, T.; Van der Sijs, N. (2003–2009), “look”, in Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands (in Dutch), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press

Dutch

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch look, from Old Dutch *lōk, from Proto-Germanic *laukaz. Compare Low German look, Look, German Lauch, English leek, Danish løg, Swedish lök. More at leek.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /loːk/
  • Rhymes: -oːk
  • Hyphenation: look

Noun

look n, m ‎(uncountable)

  1. garlic
  2. several related herbs, like chive, garlic, shallot and leek
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /loːk/
  • Rhymes: -oːk
  • Hyphenation: look

Verb

look

  1. singular past indicative of luiken

Etymology 3

Borrowing from English look.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /luk/
  • Rhymes: -uk
  • Hyphenation: look

Noun

look m ‎(plural looks)

  1. appearance, clothing style, look

Anagrams

French

Etymology

Borrowing from English look.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /luk/

Noun

look m ‎(plural looks)

  1. style; appearance; look
    Je trouve que son nouveau look ne lui va pas du tout.‎ ― I think his new look doesn't suit him at all.

Derived terms

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowing from English look.

Noun

look m ‎(plural looks)

  1. (informal) Look; style, appearance

References

Etymology

From the English given name Luke.

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