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to look out

to look out

156 3.0
Help someone and keep them safe
  • phrasal verb
  • /lʊk aʊt/
translation icon : velar por
  • Though a corporal had fewer men in his charge than a colonel, he needed to look out for them, too.

That's like the Western mind inside of me that's looking out for you.

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Examples

  • The world needs us to care for each other and look out for each other.

  • In a crisis situation, people often think and look out for themselves and their family before anyone else.

    Blog text (2)
  • And what he needs is someone to look out for him, Right?

  • So, I took it upon myself to look out for him.

  • Now I need you to look out for me.

  • Now it's my job to look out for you.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • I'm just trying to look out for you.

  • The New Covenant looks out for the interests of the ordinary people.

    Academic text (1998)
  • We all swore we'd look out for one another...

  • It is important to have someone who will look out for you when you face challenges.

Synonyms

to look after
vsto look out
472 1.1

Take care of someone or something to keep them safe and working

is more about active protection and securing someone’s interests
to guard
vsto look out
418 1.0

To watch and protect a person or place from harm

is more about ongoing care and ensuring needs, not only defence
to keep an eye on
vsto look out
  • Informal
408 2.4

To watch someone or something carefully to make sure nothing bad happens

focuses more on active protection and ensuring someone's needs are met
to look out for
vsto look out
291 3.0

Watch carefully to notice danger or help someone

focuses on protecting interests and ensuring needs beyond mere alertness
to watch over
vsto look out
145 2.3

To look after someone or something to keep them safe

is broader, emphasizing protection of interests and provision as well
to keep watch
vsto look out
30 3.1

To stay alert and watch for danger or trouble

is about protection and ensuring needs, not only observing for danger
to keep a close watch
vsto look out
8 3.0

Look at a person or thing very carefully for a while to notice problems

emphasizes broader protection and support beyond intense monitoring
to keep guard
vsto look out
2 3.1

To stay and watch to protect people or a place

focuses more on general protection and support rather than only guarding

Antonyms

773 3.1

Leave someone or something behind permanently and without care

256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

How Protective

to safeguard
45 3.7
to protect
1.0
to look out
156 3.0
to look after
472 1.1

Surface Forms

look out infinitive
looked out past
looked out past participle
looking out present participle
looks out third person singular

Morphology

look + out

The sense 'to protect or watch over someone' is plausibly derived from combining 'look' (direct attention/watch) with 'out' (outward vigilance), so a learner who knows the parts can often infer a watching/protective meaning. However, the extension to 'ensure someone gets what they need' or the habitual sense 'take care of' is a pragmatic/idiomatic extension of the literal components and depends on phrasal-verb usage, so it is not fully predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase look out for someone comes from the simple idea of watching over a friend so nothing bad happens; you look out and keep an eye on them. That's why today look out can mean 'to protect someone' or 'to make sure they are safe'.