Phrase guide

look on

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To watch; to observe without participating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • My performance seems somehow always to get worse when there are other people looking on.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To think of something in a particular way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • I look on him not as a boss, but as a friend.
  • We don't look kindly on people like you.
  • I look poorly on any suggestion of overspending.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

look on as or consider

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she looked on this affair as a joke
  • He thinks of himself as a brilliant musician
  • He is reputed to be intelligent

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: think of, repute, regard as, look upon, esteem, take to be

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: think, believe, consider, conceive

4

verb

Meaning 4

observe with attention

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • They watched as the murderer was executed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: watch

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: sit by, sit back

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: наблюдавам (nabljudavam) — to watch; to observe
  • Czech: přihlížet — to watch; to observe
  • Esperanto: rigardi — to watch; to observe
  • Esperanto: alrigardi — to watch; to observe
  • German: zuschauen — to watch; to observe
  • Italian: stare a guardare — to watch; to observe
  • Swedish: titta på — to watch; to observe
  • Bulgarian: считам (sčitam) — to think of something in a particular way
  • German: betrachten — to think of something in a particular way
  • German: ansehen — to think of something in a particular way
  • Italian: reputare — to think of something in a particular way