Contents
Phrasal verbs with LOOK are among the most frequently used expressions in everyday English. They help you talk about care, attention, opinions, expectations, investigation, and observation in natural, authentic ways that native speakers use constantly.
In this lesson, you’ll master a carefully organized list of common phrasal verbs with LOOK, complete with clear meanings, natural examples, accurate pronunciation, and grammar notes. Similar forms such as look around / look round and look upon / look on as are grouped together to prevent confusion and deepen your understanding of their real-world usage.
List of Common Phrasal Verbs with LOOK
Here are the nineteen most essential phrasal verbs with look that appear frequently in conversation, writing, and professional communication:
- Look after
- Look ahead
- Look back
- Look around
- Look down on
- Look at
- Look for
- Look forward to
- Look in
- Look into
- Look on
- Look on as
- Look out
- Look out for
- Look through
- Look to
- Look up
- Look up to
- Look upon
Phrasal Verbs with LOOK: Meaning and Examples
Below is a comprehensive breakdown of each phrasal verb with look, organized with clear meanings, real-world examples, and essential grammar rules. She agreed to look after her neighbor’s cat while they were away. Parents must look after their children’s health and education. The company is looking ahead to new opportunities in emerging markets. After difficulties, she decided to look ahead and focus on positive changes. She likes to look back on her school days with fond memories. When I look back at my mistakes, I realize how much I’ve grown. He looked around the room to find his keys. We looked around the apartment and decided it was perfect for us. He looks down on people without a university degree. Some wealthy individuals look down on those from different social backgrounds. Let’s look at the problem carefully before making a decision. If you look at the statistics, the trend is clear. She is looking for a new apartment in a safe neighborhood. What are you looking for in a potential employer? I’m looking forward to meeting you next week. Everyone is looking forward to the summer vacation. I’ll look in on my grandmother later today to make sure she’s okay. The nurse looked in on the patient every hour. The police are looking into the case with great seriousness. We need to look into why the website is loading so slowly. She looked on as the match continued without commenting. The crowd looked on silently as the ceremony took place. I look on him as a close friend and trusted advisor. Many people look upon yoga as an effective way to reduce stress. Look out! There’s a car coming toward us! She looked out the window at the rainy street below. Please look out for suspicious behavior around the building. Good friends look out for each other in difficult times. She looked through the documents before signing the contract. When I greeted him, he looked through me as if I didn’t exist. We look to our leaders for guidance during difficult times. Many people look to technology as the solution to climate change. Look it up in the dictionary if you don’t understand the word. Things are starting to look up for the company’s future. When you visit London, look me up and we’ll catch up. She looks up to her older brother as a role model and mentor. Many young athletes look up to professional players in their sport. He looked upon the offer as unfair and rejected it outright. In that culture, education is looked upon as the highest priority.Look after
Look ahead
Look back
Look around / Look round
Look down on
Look at
Look for
Look forward to
Look in (on someone)
Look into
Look on
Look on / upon as
Look out
Look out for
Look through
Look to
Look up
Look up to
Look upon
Common Mistakes with Phrasal Verbs with LOOK
Learners often confuse similar phrasal verbs with look. Here are three common mistakes and how to correct them:
❌ Wrong “I’m looking forward to meet you next week.” (Incorrect—uses base verb instead of gerund)
✅ Correct “I’m looking forward to meeting you next week.” (Correct—”look forward to” requires V-ing form, not base verb)
❌ Wrong “She looked through him at the party.” (Incorrect—confuses meanings)
✅ Correct “She looked at him at the party.” OR “She looked through him, pretending he didn’t exist.” (Correct—”look at” means to examine; “look through” means to ignore)
❌ Wrong “They look up the solution in the dictionary.” (Incorrect—word order with object pronoun)
✅ Correct “They look the solution up in the dictionary.” OR “They look it up.” (Correct—with separable “look up,” object can come between verb and particle, or you can use pronoun before particle)
Key Grammar Notes
Dialogue Examples with Phrasal Verbs with LOOK
- Alex
- Are you excited about the new project?
- Jordan
- Absolutely! I’m really looking forward to starting it. My manager is someone I look up to, so I trust her vision.
- Alex
- That’s great. Have you looked through all the project details yet?
- Jordan
- Not completely. I’ll look them up in the shared drive tonight. I also wanted to look at the timeline more carefully.
- Alex
- Smart thinking. Just look out for the deadline changes that came through this morning.
- Jordan
- Will do. I also look to my mentor for guidance on complex decisions.
- Alex
- That’s wise. When you need to research something, don’t hesitate to look into it thoroughly.
- Jordan
- Agreed. I always look at problems from multiple angles before proposing solutions.
In this dialogue, nine different phrasal verbs with look are used naturally in a professional context to discuss excitement, guidance, research, and careful analysis.
✨ Don’t stop here!
There’s so much more to discover. Dive into these hand-picked lessons to see how other common verbs can transform your everyday English:
👉 Phrasal Verbs with SEE | Phrasal Verbs with GET | Phrasal Verbs for WORK
👉 Download the PDF of phrasal verbs with LOOK to study offline.