look out for
Idioms-
See to the welfare of, as in Mary was assigned to look out for the youngsters on the playground . Similar to look after , this expression appears in such terms as look out for number one , meaning “see to one's own best interests,” as in Looking out for number one is Barbara's first priority . Versions of this expression, such as take care of number one , date from 1700.
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Be careful of or watchful for something or someone, as in Look out for broken glass on the floor , or Look out for Mary—she'll be coming any minute . [Second half of 1600s] Also see look out .
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.
Kotsoni says the items to look out for are "draped garments, breezy materials and lots of bohemian and flowy silhouettes".
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
“California is strongest when we look out for one another. That is what this action is about,” Newsom said in a prepared statement Monday in announcing the emergency declaration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Sheer Health also told me to look out for two common traps:
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
Sazan appealed to the infamously paranoid Hoxha as a vantage point from which he and his associates could look out for any invaders who might come sailing over the Mediterranean to interrupt his rule.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
That was his way of telling every living thing in those Cherokee bottoms to look out, for a mighty hunter and a bluetick hound were on the prowl.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
