Look through meaning
Look through means to read or check something quickly, page by page. It can also mean to search inside a bag, a box or a drawer.
look through something
look through · looked · looking
I looked through the report on the train.
Look through meanings and examples
3 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
Read or check something quickly, page by page
look through something
- I looked through the report on the train.
- Let’s look through the photos from the trip.
- She looked through the menu twice.
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2
Search inside a bag, a box or a drawer
look through something
- I looked through my bag but found nothing.
- He looked through the drawer for a pen.
- We looked through boxes of old toys.
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3
Pretend not to see someone
look through somebody
- She looked through me as if I wasn’t there.
- He looked straight through his old friend.
- They looked through the new girl at lunch.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use look through 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 through separable?
Look through is not separable. The thing comes after through: look through the file, look through it.
Look through can also mean see something on the other side: look through a window. That is the ordinary verb look plus through, with the same word order.
Verb tenses for look through
| Present | I look through · she looks through |
|---|---|
| Past | looked through |
| Present perfect | have looked through |
| -ing form | looking through |
Common mistakes with look through
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I looked the photos through.
Right: I looked through the photos.
Look through does not split.
Wrong: I looked through for my keys the bag.
Right: I looked through the bag for my keys.
The place comes right after through, then for.
Wrong: She looked at through me.
Right: She looked through me.
No at: look through someone means ignore them.
Synonyms and opposites of look through
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- look overcheck quickly
- skimread quickly to get the main idea
- flick throughturn the pages of a book or magazine quickly
Opposite
- studyread carefully
- look atlook at one thing carefully
Look through quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1I’ll ___ your notes tonight and tell you what I think.
Look through means read quickly, page by page.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Look through is not separable.
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3“He looked right through her.” What did he do?
Look through someone means ignore them.
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 outB1be careful, because something bad may 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 through FAQ
Questions people ask about look through.
What does look through mean?
It means read or check something quickly, search inside a container, or ignore someone by acting as if they are not there.
What is the difference between look through and read?
Look through is quick and light. You may skip some parts. Read means take in all the words.
What does “looking through someone” mean?
It means you look in their direction but behave as if you cannot see them. People do it when they are angry or want to ignore someone.
Use look through 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.