Meaning & use
look the part
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Meaning
phraseidiominformal
To have an appearance, such as clothes or manner, that suits a role or situation and makes people believe you belong in it.
Grammar: No object follows it; the verb takes tenses: she looked the part.
Patterns
- dress to look the part
- really look the part
In her crisp suit and glasses, she really looked the part of a company director.
He bought a leather jacket and boots so he would look the part at the bike show.
The new teacher didn't look the part at first, but she soon earned respect.
Word forms
| third person singular | looks the part |
|---|---|
| past tense | looked the part |
| past participle | looked the part |
| -ing form | looking the part |
Common combinations
- certainly look the part
- With his wig and robe, he certainly looks the part.
- dress up to look the part
- The actors dressed up to look the part in rehearsals.
- look the part but
- He looks the part but has never run a business.
- not look the part
- You do not have to look the part to do the job well.
- look the part in
- She looks the part in her new uniform.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fit the bill
- Fit the bill means to meet the requirements of a need, not to appear right, so it is about suitability rather than looks.
- seem right for the job
- Seem right for the job is a plain description, while look the part focuses specifically on outward appearance.
- dress the part
- Dress the part stresses choosing clothes on purpose, whereas look the part can describe natural appearance.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: look the part or play the part?
look the part vs play the part
Play the part means to act a role, while look the part is only about outward appearance.
Practice
Her friend arrived in a full chef's uniform. Which sentence fits best?
Choose one answer.
The fixed idiom is look the part. Changing the article or making part plural breaks the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “look the part”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.