Meaning & use
looked after
Last updated
Meanings
adjectiveafter a verb
cared for by someone, especially a child or an old person who needs help
Grammar: Used after linking verbs like be, seem, or feel: The children are well looked after. Before a noun, use hyphens: a looked-after child.
Patterns
- be well looked after
- a looked-after child
- look after someone
The two children were well looked after by their grandmother.
In this home, every looked-after child has a personal care plan.
The old man is looked after by a team of nurses who visit daily.
adjectiveafter a verb
kept in good condition or taken care of, especially a place or thing
Grammar: Often used with well or badly to say whether the care is good or poor: The car is well looked after.
Patterns
- be well looked after
- be badly looked after
- look after something
The garden is beautifully looked after, with flowers all year round.
These old buildings have been well looked after for centuries.
My bike is old but well looked after, so it still runs smoothly.
Common combinations
- well looked after
- The puppy is well looked after and very healthy.
- looked-after child
- The council provides extra support for looked-after children.
- be looked after by someone
- She was looked after by her aunt while her parents were away.
- badly looked after
- The house had been badly looked after and needed repairs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cared for
- Very close in meaning, but 'cared for' is more general and can describe medical or emotional care; 'looked after' often suggests everyday practical care.
- well-kept
- Used mainly for places or objects that are tidy and in good condition; it does not normally describe people.
- maintained
- More technical and often about machines or buildings that are checked and repaired regularly.
Opposites
Word family
- look after phrasal verb
- To take care of someone or something.
- carer noun
- A person who looks after someone who is ill or old.
Commonly confused: looked after or look after?
looked after vs look after
This is the base form of the verb. 'Looked after' is the past participle used as an adjective; don't use 'look after' after 'is' when you mean the state: say 'is looked after', not 'is look after'.
Practice
The children were well _____ while their parents were on holiday.
Choose one answer.
After 'were' we need the past participle 'looked after' to make a passive meaning. 'Look after' is the base form and cannot follow 'were'; 'looking after' would need 'were' as a continuous auxiliary but then the meaning changes to an action in progress, not a state of care.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “looked after”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.