look on

verb

1. (adverb) to be a spectator at an event or incident

2. 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

Other Word Forms

• looker-on noun

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Be a spectator, watch, as in She rode the horse around the ring as her parents looked on . [Late 1500s]

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]

Example Sentences

For example, injuries to knees, ankles and joints were always looked on differently to muscular injuries which, for me, were definitely classed as preventable.

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Talking to the only other couple who managed not to chicken out like we did, I’ll never forget the looks on their faces when they learned we’d left in the midnight hour.

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The flock stood in the pasture with Roz as the children and the herd looked on.

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I look on as three band members are taken away in a police car.

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"I won't forget the look on his face," said Darren, in his first interview, which marks the fourth anniversary of the tragedy.

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Related Words

• note 
• notice 
• observe 
• respect 
• see 
• view 
• watch 
• witness