Phrasal Verbs with “look”
"Look" changes meaning completely depending on the word that follows — "look after" (care for) has nothing to do with "look up" (search). Here are the common ones, each with a meaning and an example.
Tip
"Look forward to" is followed by a noun or the -ing form, not the base verb: "look forward to seeing you" (not "to see you").
10 phrasal verbs with “look”
look after
to take care of someone or something.
“Can you look after the kids tonight?”
look for
to search for something.
“I'm looking for my keys.”
look up
to search for information; or (of a situation) to improve.
“Look the word up in the dictionary.”
look forward to
to feel excited about something in the future.
“I look forward to seeing you soon.”
look into
to investigate something.
“We'll look into the problem right away.”
look out
to be careful; used as a warning.
“Look out — there's a car coming!”
look up to
to admire and respect someone.
“She looks up to her older sister.”
look down on
to think you are better than someone.
“He looks down on people who disagree with him.”
look around
to explore or examine a place.
“We looked around the museum for an hour.”
look through
to read or examine something quickly.
“I looked through the report on the train.”
Frequently asked
Why is it "look forward to seeing" and not "to see"?
Here "to" is a preposition, not part of an infinitive, so it's followed by the -ing form: "look forward to seeing you," "look forward to the weekend."
What's the difference between "look up" and "look up to"?
"Look up" means to search for information (look up a word). "Look up to" means to admire someone. The extra "to" changes the meaning completely.