look on
Britishverb
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(adverb) to be a spectator at an event or incident
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Also: look upon. (preposition) to consider or regard
she looked on the whole affair as a joke
he looks on his mother-in-law with disapproval
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Also, look upon . Regard in a certain way, as in I looked on him as a second father , or We looked upon her as a worthy successor . [Early 1600s]
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Be a spectator, watch, as in She rode the horse around the ring as her parents looked on . [Late 1500s]
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Also, look on with . Read from someone's book, paper, or music at the same time, as in I forgot my score; can I look on with you? [Late 1800s]
Other Word Forms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With a holiday-shortened week and a heat wave upon much of the country, investors are primed to look on the sunny side.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
“I’m glad you had that look on your face.”
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026
Beijing’s response has been to look on impassively.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
And if worse comes to worst, he'll look on the bright side.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
That look on Jonah’s face when he stood there holding the summer goals list.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
