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Look into meaning

Look into means to examine the facts about a problem to find out the cause. It can also mean to find out about something you may want to do or buy.

Check yourself: 3 questionsAll 13 phrasal verbs with look

look into something

look into · looked · looking

B2Not separable+1 more meaning

The police are looking into the robbery.

Look into meanings and examples

2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.

  1. 1examine the facts about a problem to find out the cause
  2. 2find out about something you may want to do or buy
  1. 1

    Examine the facts about a problem to find out the cause

    look into something

    B2Not separable

    • The police are looking into the robbery.
    • We’ll look into why the website is slow.
    • Could you look into my complaint, please?
  2. 2

    Find out about something you may want to do or buy

    look into something

    B2Not separable

    • I’m looking into evening courses.
    • They’re looking into buying a flat.
    • Have you looked into flights to Lisbon?
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Is look into separable?

Look into is not separable. What you are investigating comes after into: look into the problem, look into it.

You can add the reason or the result later: We’ll look into it and call you back. It is common in work emails as a polite promise.

Verb tenses for look into

PresentI look into · she looks into
Pastlooked into
Present perfecthave looked into
-ing formlooking into

Common mistakes with look into

What learners often say, and what to say instead.

  • Wrong: We will look into the problem out.

    Right: We will look into the problem.

    Look into is complete. Do not add out.

  • Wrong: I’ll look the problem into.

    Right: I’ll look into the problem.

    The object comes after into.

  • Wrong: I looked into the mirror the problem.

    Right: I looked into the problem.

    Here into is part of the phrasal verb, not a place.

Synonyms and opposites of look into

Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.

Similar

  • investigatea more formal word for a serious problem
  • checklook at something quickly to be sure
  • find outget information

Opposite

  • ignorepay no attention to a problem
  • cover uphide the facts about something

Look into quiz

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.

  1. 1The manager said, “I’ll ___ the problem and call you tomorrow.”

  2. 2Choose the right sentence.

  3. 3You say “I’m looking into evening classes.” What are you doing?

More phrasal verbs with look

All phrasal verbs with look, by level, with an exercise

13 phrasal verbs start with look. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.

Test yourself on lookTake the full test

Look into FAQ

Questions people ask about look into.

What does look into mean?

It means find out more about a problem or a possibility. The police are looking into the case.

What is the difference between look into and look at?

Look at often means check or think about something. Look into means investigate deeper to find the cause or the facts.

Is “I’ll look into it” polite?

Yes, it is a polite promise to check a matter and answer later. It does not promise a solution.

Use look into in real conversations

In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.

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