Meaning & use
looking after
Last updated
Meaning
phrase
The act of taking care of someone or something, especially a person who needs help or a possession that needs attention.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase, often after a preposition such as 'for' or 'in'.
Patterns
- looking after someone
- looking after something
- responsible for looking after
She spends most of her time looking after her elderly parents.
Looking after a puppy is a lot of work.
The nurse is responsible for looking after the patients on this ward.
Common combinations
- looking after children
- Looking after children requires patience and energy.
- looking after a pet
- He enjoys looking after his neighbor's cat when they travel.
- looking after yourself
- It's important to focus on looking after yourself first.
- responsible for looking after
- Who is responsible for looking after the equipment?
Synonyms and how they differ
- caring for
- Similar meaning, but 'caring for' often emphasizes emotional concern, while 'looking after' focuses on practical supervision.
- taking care of
- Very close in meaning and often interchangeable, though 'taking care of' can also mean dealing with a task.
Opposites
Word family
- look after phrasal verb
- The base verb form meaning to take care of someone or something.
Commonly confused: looking after or looking for?
looking after vs looking for
'Looking for' means searching for something, while 'looking after' means taking care of it.
Practice
Choose the correct phrase: She is very good at ___ her little brother.
Choose one answer.
'Looking after' means taking care of someone, which fits the context of caring for a little brother. 'Looking for' means searching, 'looking at' means directing your eyes, and 'looking into' means investigating.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “looking after”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.