Em 15 segundos
- Search for specific facts in a reference source.
- Can be used for dictionaries, maps, or the internet.
- Commonly used when you don't know a word's meaning.
Significado
To search for a specific piece of information in a book, on the internet, or in a list.
Exemplos-chave
3 de 6Studying for a test
I need to look up the date of the French Revolution.
I need to look up the date of the French Revolution.
Cooking a new recipe
Can you look up how many grams are in an ounce?
Can you look up how many grams are in an ounce?
In a business meeting
I'll look up the sales figures and email them to you.
I'll look up the sales figures and email them to you.
Contexto cultural
In the US, 'look it up' is a very common response to curiosity. It's linked to the 'DIY' (Do It Yourself) culture of learning. The sense of 'looking someone up' for a social visit is very common in the UK and implies a polite, casual interest in reconnecting. The phrase has been partially replaced by 'Google it' in casual speech, but 'look up' remains the standard in professional and academic writing. Professors often use 'look up' to encourage students to use primary sources and bibliographies.
The Pronoun Sandwich
Always put 'it', 'them', 'him', or 'her' in the middle. 'Look it up' is your best friend.
Don't 'Look Up' People You Don't Know
Using 'look up' for a person implies you already know them. For strangers, use 'search for' or 'research'.
Em 15 segundos
- Search for specific facts in a reference source.
- Can be used for dictionaries, maps, or the internet.
- Commonly used when you don't know a word's meaning.
What It Means
Imagine you are lost in a sea of words. Look up is your mental flashlight. It means searching for a specific fact. You aren't reading the whole book. You are hunting for one tiny detail. It is like finding a needle in a haystack. You use it for words, dates, or phone numbers.
How To Use It
This phrase is a 'separable' phrasal verb. This means you can split it. You can say look up the word. You can also say look the word up. Both are perfectly fine! If you use a pronoun like it, you must put it in the middle. Always say look it up. Never say look up it. That sounds a bit clunky to native ears.
When To Use It
Use this when you are curious. Use it at work when you forget a client's name. Use it at a restaurant to check a menu ingredient. It is perfect for texting a friend about movie times. It is the 'Google' of phrasal verbs. If you don't know, you look it up!
When NOT To Use It
Don't use this for physical objects you lost. If you can't find your keys, don't say you are 'looking them up'. You are 'looking for' them. Look up is only for information. Also, don't confuse it with look up to. That means you admire someone. Looking up a word is easy; looking up to a hero is deep!
Cultural Background
Before smartphones, people lived by massive paper dictionaries. 'Looking up' literally meant scanning your eyes up and down the pages. Today, we mostly look up things on glass screens. Even though the technology changed, the phrase stayed. It represents our human desire to find answers quickly.
Common Variations
Sometimes we say I'll do a quick search. But look up feels more natural in conversation. You might hear look it up in the archives in a library. In a business meeting, someone might say let me look that up in the report. It is a universal tool for the curious mind.
Notas de uso
This is a neutral phrasal verb suitable for almost any situation. Just remember the 'separable' rule: nouns can go at the end or in the middle, but pronouns MUST go in the middle.
The Pronoun Sandwich
Always put 'it', 'them', 'him', or 'her' in the middle. 'Look it up' is your best friend.
Don't 'Look Up' People You Don't Know
Using 'look up' for a person implies you already know them. For strangers, use 'search for' or 'research'.
Digital Context
Even though we use Google, saying 'I'll look it up' sounds more natural and less like an advertisement than 'I'll Google it' in formal settings.
Exemplos
6I need to look up the date of the French Revolution.
I need to look up the date of the French Revolution.
Used for a historical fact.
Can you look up how many grams are in an ounce?
Can you look up how many grams are in an ounce?
Used for a unit conversion.
I'll look up the sales figures and email them to you.
I'll look up the sales figures and email them to you.
Professional use for data retrieval.
Wait, let me look up who directed this film.
Wait, let me look up who directed this film.
Casual digital search.
I tried to look up 'clueless' in the dictionary, but I couldn't find it!
I tried to look up 'clueless' in the dictionary, but I couldn't find it!
A classic joke about not knowing how to search.
If you don't know what the word means, just look it up.
If you don't know what the word means, just look it up.
Standard advice for language learners.
Teste-se
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'look up'. Remember the pronoun rule!
I don't know the address. Can you _______ on your phone?
When using the pronoun 'it', it must go between 'look' and 'up'.
Choose the sentence that uses 'look up' correctly.
Which sentence is correct?
'Look up' is for information in a source. 'Look for' is for lost objects.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 'Is the economy getting better?' B: 'Yes, things are finally _______.'
The phrase 'things are looking up' means the situation is improving.
Match the meaning of 'look up' to the situation.
Situation: 'I'll look you up when I'm in Paris.'
In this context, it means to find and visit an acquaintance.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Recursos visuais
Look Up vs. Look For
Banco de exercicios
4 exerciciosI don't know the address. Can you _______ on your phone?
When using the pronoun 'it', it must go between 'look' and 'up'.
Which sentence is correct?
'Look up' is for information in a source. 'Look for' is for lost objects.
A: 'Is the economy getting better?' B: 'Yes, things are finally _______.'
The phrase 'things are looking up' means the situation is improving.
Situation: 'I'll look you up when I'm in Paris.'
In this context, it means to find and visit an acquaintance.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Perguntas frequentes
10 perguntasNo, 'look up to' means to admire someone. Just say 'look up the word'.
It is neutral. You can use it with friends or in a business meeting.
'Search' is broader. 'Look up' specifically implies finding a piece of info in a list or reference.
Yes, but only to mean 'find their contact info' or 'visit them'.
It is always 'look it up'. The pronoun must go in the middle.
Not quite. 'Look up' is for a quick fact. 'Research' is for a deep study.
Usually we say 'Things are looking up' for situations. For prices, we say 'Prices are going up'.
The past tense is 'looked up'. Example: 'I looked up the address yesterday.'
As a verb, it's two words ('look up'). As a noun or adjective, it's one word ('a lookup table').
Yes, 'look up the location on the map' is very common.
Frases relacionadas
look for
similarTo search for a physical object or person.
look into
specialized formTo investigate something deeply.
look over
similarTo examine or review something.
look up to
contrastTo admire or respect someone.
