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Synonyms

look up

British  

verb

  1. (tr) to discover (something required to be known) by resorting to a work of reference, such as a dictionary

  2. (intr) to increase, as in quality or value

    things are looking up

  3. to have respect (for)

    I've always wanted a girlfriend I could look up to

  4. (tr) to visit or make contact with (a person)

    I'll look you up when I'm in town

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

look up Idioms  
  1. Search for in a book or other source, as in I told her to look up the word in the dictionary . [Late 1600s]

  2. Call on or visit, as in I'm going to look up my friend in Chicago . [Mid-1800s]

  3. Become better, improve, as in Business is finally looking up . [c. 1800]

  4. look up to . Admire, respect, as in The students really looked up to Mr. Jones . [Early 1700s]


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.

Sam looked up from his trucks with surprise.

From Literature

She didn’t bother to look up from the book on sharks she was reading.

From Literature

“Bat, can you look up at my face?”

From Literature

Orville Payne was a tall man—so tall that when I looked up at him I could see clear inside his nostrils.

From Literature

The golden retriever looked up at him with a wounded expression.

From Literature