on the lookout

Idioms  

1. Also, on the watch. Vigilant, alert, as in Be on the lookout for the twins—they're somewhere on this playground, or He was on the watch for her arrival. Both phrases were originally used with upon. Upon the lookout was originally nautical usage, meaning “on duty being watchful” (as for another ship, rocks, or land); it appeared in the mid-1700s, and on replaced upon about a century later. Upon the watch was first recorded in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719), and on the watch in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1797).

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

on the lookout

Those who describe their career strategies as "lily padding" are always on the lookout for the next opportunity.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

But with Dodger Stadium, the marine layer angle jumped out at me because I’m always on the lookout for relatable ways to tell the climate change story.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

Still, investors should be on the lookout for any recommendations regarding the maintenance and operation of Boeing’s flagship 787 jet.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

In the future, she is hopeful for more projects like this one and says they are on the lookout for some more land.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

But Presto was always on the lookout for ever-freakier performers and knew I’d give him an edge over his competitors on the Strip.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• active
• bright
• careful
• intelligent
• observant
• perceptive
• sharp
• vigilant
• wary
• watchful
• wired
• wise