look-around

IPA/lˈʊkɐɹˈaʊnd/
IPA/lˈʊkɚɹˈaʊnd/

look-around — phrasal verb

  • look-aroundbase form
  • look-arounds3rd person singular
  • look-arounding-ing form
  • look-aroundedpast simple

1. to walk through a building, town, or other area while looking at what is there,

1.phrasal verbintransitiveB1
Definition

to walk through a building, town, or other area while looking at what is there, usually to decide if you like it or to learn more about it

Example

Amara and Diego looked around the flat, then told the landlord they would take it.

collocation: look around + [property] for evaluation

Chen looked around the art gallery for nearly an hour before choosing a painting to buy.

phrasal verb with time duration: look around [place] for [time]

Common collocations
  • look around + [town / museum / shop / gallery / flat / house / campus / market / city / factory]
  • spend + [time] + looking around
  • take time to look around
  • go to look around
Synonyms
  • explore

    suggests a more thorough, curious investigation of a place

  • browse

    specifically about looking at goods in a shop or market without a firm intention to buy

  • wander around

    emphasises walking without a fixed plan or purpose

Grammar Patterns

look around [place]

look around for [time period]

Usage Note

In British English, look round is equally common. This sense does not take a direct object meaning 'a lost item' — searching for a specific object uses the different pattern look around for + [item].

Common Mistakes

We looked around and around the museum but could not find the exit.
We looked around the museum but could not find the exit.
'Around and around' implies circling repeatedly; do not duplicate 'around' after the phrasal verb.
She looked around her keys everywhere in the house.
She looked around the house for her keys.
When the purpose is searching for a lost item, use 'look around [place] for [item]', not 'look around [item]'.

Synonym discussion

Sense: phrasal verb/1

Look around is the most neutral and common way to describe visiting a place to see what is there. Explore suggests a more thorough, curious investigation — you might explore a forest or a new neighbourhood, not just glance at it. Browse is limited to shops, markets, or online stores; it implies looking at items without a firm intention to buy. Wander around emphasises the lack of a fixed route or goal — you wander around a city with no particular destination. Have a look at is more casual and often refers to a quicker glance: 'Let's have a look at that shop.' Use look around when the main purpose is seeing the place itself; use explore when the purpose is discovery; use browse when the focus is on the goods on display; use wander around when movement without direction is the key idea.

explore ↗browse ↗wander aroundhave a look at

Etymology

Old EnglishOld FrenchEnglish

Look comes from Old English lōcian, meaning 'to see' or 'to gaze.' Around combines a- (a prefix forming adverbs) + round, from Old French ront 'circular.' The phrasal verb look around emerged in the 1700s, originally meaning 'to turn one's head to see in all directions' before extending to 'visit and inspect a place.'