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Glite Dictionary
to look out for number one

to look out for number one

4 8.2
To put your own needs before other people's
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : pensar en uno mismo
  • Now, while the family got settled, it was time I started looking out for number one.
  • just look out for number one

Examples

  • I've always just thought you got to look out for number one.

    The Emoji Movie (2017)

  • Even among humans, despite our talk about caring for others, all too often it's "look out for number one."

    Fiction book (1990)

  • You gotta look out for number one which is you.

    Against the Current (2009)

  • You gotta look out for number one.

    Back to School (1986)

  • I gotta look out for number one.

    The Manhattan Project (1986)

  • Just looking out for number one.

    Shanghai Knights (2003)

  • And from where I'm standing, you need to start looking out for number one.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • You gotta look out for number one or you're dead.

    The Outsider (1997)

  • You have to remember to look out for number one and take care of yourself first.

  • It is important to look out for number one in tough situations like this.

Synonyms

to know which side your bread is buttered on
vsto look out for number one
  • Informal
1 9.1

Act to protect your own interests

puts own interests before others when choosing or acting

Antonyms

selfless
72 3.2

Caring more about other people's needs than your own

altruistic
23 6.7

Wanting to help other people even when it costs you

How Selfish

to look out for number one
  • Informal
4 8.2
to come first
87 2.3

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

look + out + for + number + one

The phrase combines a somewhat compositional verb phrase 'look out for' (to watch for / take care of) with the colloquial 'number one' (meaning oneself or first priority), so a learner who knows the words can plausibly infer 'prioritize one's own interests.' However, the idiomatic use of 'number one' for 'oneself' and the variable senses of 'look out' make the exact meaning somewhat language-specific and not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Look out for number one comes from the simple picture of a list where number one is the most important item. So to 'look out for number one' means to protect 'yourself' and put your own needs first.