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
- looker-on noun
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.
They were also offering hotel vouchers, but I looked on Facebook and people were saying the hotel was in a bad part of town.
From MarketWatch
The horrified look on Dad’s face when he realized he couldn’t afford our hamburgers and fries.
From Literature
"Amnesty now!" they chanted as riot police looked on.
From Barron's
Her mouth was straight across and her hands were on her hips, and I’ve seen that look on grown-ups before and it has never meant anything good.
From Literature
McCullum, who oversaw England's Ashes defeat this winter, has presented a similar laid-back look on the sidelines regardless of the match situation throughout his time with England.
From BBC
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.
