Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To employ one's sight, especially in a given direction or on a given object.
  • intransitive verb To search.
  • intransitive verb To turn one's glance or gaze.
  • intransitive verb To turn one's attention; attend.
  • intransitive verb To turn one's expectations.
  • intransitive verb To seem or appear to be.
  • intransitive verb To face in a specified direction.
  • intransitive verb To turn one's eyes on.
  • intransitive verb To convey by one's expression.
  • intransitive verb To have an appearance of conformity with.
  • intransitive verb To appear to be.
  • noun The act or instance of looking.
  • noun A gaze or glance expressive of something.
  • noun Appearance or aspect.
  • noun Physical appearance, especially when pleasing.
  • noun A distinctive, unified manner of dress or fashion.
  • idiom (look a gift horse in the mouth) To be critical or suspicious of something one has received without expense.
  • idiom (alive/sharp) To act or respond quickly.
  • idiom (on/upon) To regard with contempt or condescension.
  • idiom (at/on) To regard with contempt or condescension.
  • idiom (look forward to) To think of (a future event) with pleasurable, eager anticipation.
  • idiom (look in on) To visit.
  • idiom (look the other way) To deliberately overlook something.
  • idiom (look up to) To admire.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To exercise the sense or faculty of vision; use the eyes in seeing; fix the sight upon some object, or upon some point or portion of space.
  • Before a word or phrase signifying direction, manner, or purpose: as, look here; look there; he looked back; to look for something lost.
  • Before a preposition governing the thing seen or an intervening object or medium: as, to look at a house; to look over a wall or through a window; to look into a mirror or a book; to look upon the wine.
  • To afford a view or outlook; have a direction; face or be turned: usually with on, upon, to, or toward: as, the windows look toward the ocean; the house looks upon a narrow street.
  • To keep watch; be careful; take heed; see to it: as, he looks after my luggage: used intensively in the ejaculatory phrases look out! look sharp!
  • To seem to the view; have the appearance of being; appear: as, he looks like his brother; it looks as if it would rain; the patient looks better.
  • To strive to seem; put on the appearance of being; assume to be.
  • To exercise mental vision or observation (in a certain way); direct the mind or understanding; take notice: often with at.
  • To have a prospect or anticipation; direct the mind expectantly; be in expectation of or with regard to something.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English loken, from Old English lōcian.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English loken, lokien, from Old English lōcian ("to see, behold, look, gaze, observe, notice, take heed, belong, pertain, regard with favor"), from Proto-Germanic *lōkōnan, *lōgēnan (“to look”) (compare West Frisian loaitsje, Middle Dutch loeken), German dialectal lugen ("to look out")), from Proto-Indo-European *lAg- (“to look, see”) (compare Welsh llygat ("eye"), Tocharian AB läk- ("to see"), Sanskrit लक्षति (lakṣati, "he sees, perceives")).

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Examples

Comments

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  • Lòók.

    November 13, 2008

  • Why are you angry?

    November 13, 2008

  • I'm not angry, just diacritical.

    November 13, 2008

  • Do fruit shop proprietors in other parts of the world do goofy things like draw eyeballs in the o's?

    November 13, 2008

  • Oh, puns! The salt of Wordie.

    November 13, 2008

  • In my experience, fruit shop proprietors are too busy randomly distributing their greengrocers apostrophe's.

    Look: turnip's!

    November 13, 2008

  • I saw something at the grocery yesterday, so delightful that I wanted to buy it just to take a photo for Wordie. I will probably do.

    November 13, 2008

  • *waiting anxiously for the delightful grocery item*

    November 13, 2008

  • Now THAT is Wordie addiction.

    November 13, 2008

  • Nipplefruit. Prolagus found some nipplefruit.

    November 13, 2008

  • I found a fantastic grocer's apo'strophe.

    November 13, 2008

  • Maybe it's just a glottal stop?

    November 13, 2008

  • Did you ever take that photo, Pro?

    February 6, 2009

  • Hehe, you know I was thinking the same thing a few days ago but couldn't remember the word upon which Prolagus had left his photo promise.

    February 6, 2009

  • Not yet! The grocer doesn't like my camera, so I have to wait. But in the meanwhile, enjoy this one.

    February 6, 2009