Look up Meaning and Definition
Look up
Pronunciation
/ˈluːk ʌp/
Part of Speech
Verb and Noun
Definition
To redirect one’s attention to something; to lift one’s eyes or gaze upwards; (as a noun) an upward-directed movement of the eyes or gaze.
Examples
- She looked up at the ceiling and tried to remember the answer.
- I’m going to look up the instructions online.
Synonyms
- View
- Peruse
- Gaze
Etymology
From Old English “lucan” or “hiccan”, to lift up, and “up”.
Usage Notes
Look up can be used in a variety of contexts, such as asking someone to scroll up a webpage or to gaze upwards.
Cultural References
The phrase “look up to” is used in the context of admiration or respect, as in “I look up to my teacher as a role model.”
Idiomatic Expressions or Phrases
Look up to, Look up to the sky, Look up and smile
Related Words or Phrases
Look down, Look ahead, Look out
Collocations
Look up at, Look up to, Look up to the
Frequency of Use
The word “look up” is commonly used in everyday language, with a frequency ranking of 10,000 in the Corpus of Contemporary American English.
Common Misspellings
Lookdown, Lukup, LooKing Up