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

Everton were very busy in the summer but the owners have shown they are happy to spend if they want to add to the squad so they are likely to be on the lookout for additions.

From BBC

These anomalies, repeatedly affirmed by behavioral economists on the lookout for such bad judgments by the rest of us, have by now formed the basis of a popular literature on the subject, and in truth most readers will find that literature more accessible than much of the material in this book.

From The Wall Street Journal

When my home-recorded cassette of the Christmas singles wore out, I was always on the lookout for a replacement, and eventually, the internet provided.

From Salon

Observers, especially Sinner, will be on the lookout: Is Alcaraz playing with the usual joy, creativity and spark?

From The Wall Street Journal

Posting the right type of content might draw the attention of venture-capital firms on the lookout for young talent.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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