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Glite Dictionary
to look across

to look across

26 3.0
See something on the other side from where you are
  • phrasal verb
: mirar hacia
  • The reason is if you look across rich countries, they make different choices with the same available technology, the same rough standards of living.
  • looked across the river

And then one day I was just sat in this cafe at the height of my physical prowess and I looked across and there he was, just me and him in this cafe in Coventry.

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Examples

  • Just as long as I can look across and figure that you are there ..

    The House Across the Bay (1940)

  • Two months later, on a Sunday, Susan sat on the porch and looked across the barnyard to the water.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I turned over in bed, I looked across the room... and I saw it.

    Shelby Oaks (2025)

  • Yeah, in some areas, you can look across the landscape and it looks like every single tree is dead for many, many, many miles around.

  • "We were standing looking across the fields toward the woods and the side of the hill."

    Fiction book (1993)

  • As they move, she looks across at the men in suits.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Kal turned away from his lord and looked across at Andrew.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Now, if you look across the river... ...you'll see positions held by Khmer Rouge... ...who moved in over the past few days.

    The Killing Fields (1984)

  • The windows looked across the sprawl of old Virginia combs and even older skyscrapers.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • From the hilltop, you can look across the valley and see the river winding below.

Synonyms

to see
vsto look across
∞ 1.0

To notice something with your eyes

involves viewing toward a distant scene rather than simple noticing
to look
vsto look across
∞ 4.4

To face a particular direction and give a view of something

means having a distant directional view rather than mere orientation
to view
vsto look across
357 1.0

To look at something carefully

is about directing sight toward a far object, not just careful watching
to overlook
vsto look across
100 3.7

To look down at a place from above

focuses on seeing toward something far away not only from above
to look out over
vsto look across
21 3.4

To have a view of an area from a high place like a balcony or window

views toward something from a distance rather than from above
to look out on
vsto look across
11 3.5

To face and have a view of a place

is about viewing toward a distant direction rather than facing nearby

Antonyms

to look away
125 2.2

Turn your eyes away from a person or thing that makes you uncomfortable

Surface Forms

look across infinitive

Morphology

look + across

The sense 'to have a view toward/over to the other side' is directly derivable from combining 'look' (gaze) with 'across' (to the other side), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE meaning. This verb + directional adverb/preposition pattern is a common, compositional spatial construction in English (and many other languages), making it transparent.

Etymology

The verb phrase look across comes from a simple image: you stand on one side and look toward the other side, your eyes moving across a space to see things far away. So it means 'to have a view toward something, often from a distance'.