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Glite Dictionary
to look before you leap

to look before you leap

2 5.9
Think carefully about possible risks before you act
  • idiom
: piensa antes de actuar
  • "Look before you leap" and "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" might well be their credos.
  • look before you leap next time

We said look, the phrase says look before you leap.

Examples

  • We've all heard the phrase: "Look before you leap."

    Blog text (11)

  • Look before you leap and tear out stuff that can never be replaced.

    Blog text (3)

  • Maybe you ought to look before you leap, huh?

    Dick Tracy (1990)

  • Next time, look before you leap.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Does your mate ever look before he leaps?

    Robot Overlords (2015)

  • Look before you leap; he who hesitates is lost.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • 'Look before you leap.'

    Blog text (1)

  • Look Before You Leap

    Blog text (26)

  • From that time on, he looked before he leaped, and this mom couldn't be prouder.

    Blog text (12)

  • You should look before you leap and consider the consequences of your actions.

Synonyms

to think twice
vsto look before you leap
  • Informal
113 3.6

Carefully consider something before you act to avoid a mistake

asks for careful thought about risks rather than a brief hesitation
to play it safe
vsto look before you leap
46 3.4

Choose a careful option to avoid risks

encourages assessing risks first rather than automatically avoiding them
to think it through
vsto look before you leap
  • Informal
37 3.2

To look at all the details and what may happen before you decide

focuses more on general caution about risks than detailed analysis
to weigh your options
vsto look before you leap
2 3.8

Think carefully about different choices before you decide

emphasizes anticipating risks and consequences rather than just comparing options
to think before you act
vsto look before you leap
1 3.6

To consider what might happen before you do something

is a general warning phrased as a proverb rather than direct order

Antonyms

to jump
  • Informal
613 1.8

To join an activity or take an opportunity quickly and eagerly

impulsive
74 4.4

Acting suddenly without careful thought because of a strong feeling

How Careful

to be careful
∞ 1.0
to look before you leap
2 5.9
to think twice
  • Informal
113 3.6
to jump into
96 3.0

Surface Forms

look before you leap infinitive
looked before you leaped past
looked before you leaped past participle
looking before you leap present participle
looks before you leap third person singular

Morphology

look + before + you + leap

The proverb's meaning is directly derivable from its parts: 'look' (examine/observe) + 'before' (prior to) + 'leap' (jump/act), so a learner who knows the words can infer 'check/examine first, then act'. Although idiomatic as a proverb, the compositional relation and cross-linguistic equivalents make the cautionary sense easily predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

The saying look before you leap paints a clear picture: someone about to jump who first turns to look to check the ground before they leap. So, it now means 'think carefully about risks before you act'.