Meaning & use
look out
Last updated
Meanings
verbintransitive
Used to warn someone of danger or to tell them to be careful.
Grammar: No object; often used alone or with 'for' + noun: Look out! There's a car! Look out for ice on the road.
Patterns
- look out!
- look out for something
Look out! That ladder is falling!
You need to look out for cars when you cross the street.
Look out for the wet floor sign near the entrance.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To take care of someone and make sure they are safe or well.
Grammar: Often followed by 'for' + person: She looks out for her younger brother.
Patterns
- look out for someone
My older sister always looked out for me when we were kids.
Good friends look out for each other.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To search for something and find it by looking.
Grammar: Usually followed by 'for' + object: I'll look out for a nice card for you.
Patterns
- look out for something
I'll look out for a good book on gardening for you.
She looked out a warm coat for the trip.
Word forms
| third person singular | looks out |
|---|---|
| past tense | looked out |
| past participle | looked out |
| -ing form | looking out |
Common combinations
- look out for danger
- Hikers should look out for danger signs along the trail.
- look out the window
- She looked out the window and saw the snow falling.
- look out for someone
- Can you look out for my dog while I'm away?
- look out on something
- The hotel room looks out on the harbor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- watch out
- Very similar to 'look out' as a warning, but 'watch out' is often used for dangers you can see coming, like a moving car.
- beware
- More formal and literary; it means be careful of a specific danger, and is usually followed by 'of': Beware of the dog.
- take care
- Used as a general warning or when saying goodbye; it does not mean 'search for' or 'take care of someone'.
Word family
- lookout noun
- A person who watches for danger, or a place from which you watch.
Commonly confused: look out or lookout?
look out vs lookout
As one word, 'lookout' is a noun meaning a person or place that watches for danger. As two words, 'look out' is a verb phrase meaning be careful or search for.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
'Look out!' is used alone as a warning. 'Look out for' needs a noun after it, as in 'Look out for the car', but option 2 is missing 'for' and option 3 is not grammatical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “look out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.