Skip to main content
lookout

lookout

88 3.7
A person who watches and warns others about danger
  • noun
  • /ˈlʊkˌaʊt/
translation icon : vigía
  • So Fleishman was always on the lookout for ways to promote his services.
  • a lookout on watch

But if you weren't kids made money being steerers or lookouts.

Examples

  • Throughout every game, you had to be on the lookout for the Corbeau man.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • You can be my lookout.

  • I made this just to give you a sense of who to be on the lookout for.

  • Would people have been on their lookout and aware of the potential danger?

  • So, I put one of my men out on lookout.

  • I'm on the lookout for a boy.

  • Others were always on the lookout for an opportunity to acquire technology.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Police are on the lookout for a drug dealer known as Siggy, in connection with her death.

  • So it is a shock when the ship's lookouts spot a light burning on the heights of the island.

    Academic text (2002)
  • As the lookout, she scanned the horizon for any signs of an approaching storm.

Synonyms

observer
vslookout
305 2.8

A person who watches and notices things, often to give expert opinion

is more about active guarding and warning rather than neutral observation
security guard
vslookout
210 1.3

A person who watches and protects a building or people to stop stealing and trouble

emphasizes watching for danger and giving warnings rather than enforcing rules
scout
vslookout
152 3.2

A person who looks for talented people to join a team or show

is mainly about standing watch and warning about expected trouble
watcher
vslookout
89 3.9

A person who watches a place or people to keep them safe

is focused especially on warning others about imminent danger or trouble
sentinel
vslookout
31 7.4

A person who watches a place to warn others of danger

is a broader role focused on watching and warning rather than military duty
watchman
vslookout
28 4.1

A person who guards a building or land, usually at night

focuses more on looking out for expected events and warning others
sentry
vslookout
26 6.0

A soldier who stands watch to guard a place

focuses more on watching for events and giving warnings rather than controlling access
spotter
vslookout
21 4.4

A person who watches closely and reports storms, dangers, or animal sightings

covers general watching duties including both warning and simple observation
night watchman
vslookout
11 3.2

A person who guards a place at night

is the general role of watching for problems and warning others
picket
vslookout
  • Jargon
5 6.1

A person who stands outside a camp to watch for enemy movement

is the wider task of watching and alerting within many contexts
lookout man
vslookout
1 5.1

A man who watches for danger or police and warns others

is the general job of watching and alerting others about danger
door guard
vslookout
1 2.5

A person who stands at an entrance to check people entering

is about standing watch for expected danger and warning others rather than only guarding an entrance
surveillant
vslookout
1 8.1

A person who watches others to make sure they follow rules

is focused on seeing danger ahead and warning people rather than policing behavior
lookout woman
vslookout
7.5

A woman who watches for danger or police and warns others

is the general job of watching and alerting others about danger
fire watcher
vslookout
  • Archaic
9.4

A person who looks for fires caused by enemy bombs during a war and reports them

is the general role of watching for problems and warning others
towerman
vslookout
  • Archaic
8.3

A person who watches from a high building to spot danger

is the broader duty of watching and warning in many settings
watchwoman
vslookout
6.8

A woman who guards a building or area, often at night

is centered on watching for expected events and alerting people to danger

Idioms

Watching carefully to find someone or something

Compounds

1 5.1

A man who watches for danger or police and warns others

A building on a hill or tower where people watch for danger

A woman who watches for danger or police and warns others

How Watchful

sentinel
31 7.4
lookout
88 3.7
guard
1.2
observer
305 2.8
bystander
84 3.4

Surface Forms

lookout singular
lookouts plural

Morphology

lookout = look (transparent) = out + look

A 'lookout' as a person is clearly someone who 'looks out' for danger, so the composition is straightforward. [Postprocessing: moved 'out' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Lookout comes from the English words look ('to see') and out ('outside' or 'ahead'). A lookout person is someone who 'looks out' for danger or for something expected, so the word means a watcher or guard.