Look out meaning
Look out means to be careful, because something bad may happen. It can also mean to watch for someone or something that may appear.
look out
look out · looked · looking
Look out! There’s a car coming!
Look out 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.
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1
Be careful, because something bad may happen
look out
- Look out! There’s a car coming!
- Look out, the floor is wet.
- Look out or you’ll fall.
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2
Watch for someone or something that may appear
look out somebody or something
- Look out for my sister at the station.
- We’re looking out for a good flat.
- Look out for ice on the road tonight.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use look out in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is look out separable?
Look out has no object when you shout it as a warning: Look out! To say what the danger is, add for: look out for ice. Look out for is not separable.
You can also look out of a window. That is just look plus the preposition out of, not the phrasal verb. A lookout is a person or place for watching, and one word.
Verb tenses for look out
| Present | I look out · she looks out |
|---|---|
| Past | looked out |
| Present perfect | have looked out |
| -ing form | looking out |
Common mistakes with look out
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: Look out the car!
Right: Look out for the car!
Add for before the danger you mention.
Wrong: I looked out my sister at the station.
Right: I looked out for my sister at the station.
For watching for someone, use look out for.
Wrong: Look out! The window.
Right: Look out of the window.
For a view through a window, use look out of.
Synonyms and opposites of look out
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- watch outa warning too; watch out is the most common spoken one
- be carefulthe plain way to say it
- keep an eye out forwatch for something over some time
Opposite
- look aftertake care of someone; not the same, but both involve attention
- switch offstop paying attention, informal
Look out quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1“___!” shouted Dan. “That glass is going to fall!”
Look out is a warning: be careful.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Look out for + the thing that may be there.
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3Which is a warning to someone near danger?
Only look out is used to warn someone quickly.
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.
- look forA1try to find someone or something
- look afterA2take care of someone or something and keep them safe and well
- look upA2find information in a dictionary, a book or online
- look forward toB1feel happy about something that is going to happen
- look atA1turn your eyes towards someone or something
- look aroundB1walk around a place and look at the things in it
- look intoB2examine the facts about a problem to find out the cause
- look backB2think about something that happened in the past
- look down onB2think that you are better than someone
- look up toB2admire and respect someone
- look overC2check something quickly, to see if it is right
- look throughB2read or check something quickly, page by page
Look out FAQ
Questions people ask about look out.
What does look out mean?
Look out is a warning: be careful. People shout it when something dangerous is about to happen. Look out for means watch for something that might appear.
What is the difference between look out and watch out?
They are almost the same. Look out is a bit more British, watch out is very common in the US. Both are warnings.
What is a lookout?
A lookout is a person who watches for danger, or a high place used for watching. It is a noun, written as one word.
Use look out 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.