Jump to content

look after

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

[edit]

Pronunciation

[edit]

Verb

[edit]

look after (third-person singular simple present looks after, present participle looking after, simple past and past participle looked after)

  1. (transitive) To follow with the eyes; to look in the direction of (someone or something departing). [from 10th c.]
  2. (transitive, now regional) To seek out, to look for. [from 14th c.]
    • 1695, John Woodward, “(please specify the page)”, in An Essay toward a Natural History of the Earth: And Terrestrial Bodies, Especially Minerals: [], London: [] Ric[hard] Wilkin [], →OCLC:
      My subject does not necessarily oblige me to look after this water, or point forth the place whereunto 'tis now retreated.
    • 1775, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The Duenna, II.4:
      I have sent my intended husband to look after my lover [] .
    • 1893, Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance:
      If they are not married, they should be looking after a wife.
    • 2005, J. M. Coetzee, “Three”, in Slow Man, New York: Viking, →ISBN, page 19:
      Sliding through the world: that is how, in a bygone age, they used to designate lives like his: looking after his interests, quietly prospering, attracting no attention.
  3. (transitive, also reflexive) To care for; to keep safe. [from 14th c.]
    He asked me to look after his daughter while he was away.
    • 2022 January 12, Paul Bigland, “Fab Four: the nation's finest stations”, in RAIL, number 948, page 27:
      The station is clearly well looked after, making it a worthy gateway to the resort.
    • 2022 April 6, “Network News: Booze ban continues as part of move to prioritise women's safety”, in RAIL, number 954, page 6:
      "And I thought: if muggins here, a 37-year-old government minister who can look after myself, feels that way, then we need to really think about how we're putting in place a level of protection for women.
  4. (transitive) To have as one's business; to manage, be responsible for. [from 16th c.]
    Coordinate term: look over
  5. (transitive, obsolete) To expect, look forward to. [14th–18th c.]

Derived terms

[edit]

Translations

[edit]

Anagrams

[edit]
pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy