look up

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

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

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see look,‎ up.

   We stayed up late to look up at the stars.

2. (intransitive, idiomatic) To have better prospects.

   Synonyms: get better, improve; see also Thesaurus:improve

   Things started looking up after Jim moved back in with his parents.

3. (transitive, idiomatic) To obtain, or seek to obtain, information about something.
   • 2014 July 16, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Wednesday, Jul 16, 2014:

     "Why do you know about transgender stuff? Did you look it up because of me?" "Oh no. I find wanting to change forms totally normal. It never would've occurred to me."

   1. To obtain information about something from a reference book.

      Synonym: consult

      I didn't know what a mitochondrion was until I looked it up in a dictionary.

   2. To enter a query into a database or search engine.

      Synonym: search

      If you look up a bunch of random characters, there will probably be no results.

4. (transitive, idiomatic) To reconnect or meet with someone that one used to know.

   Synonym: track down

   • 1914, Rupert Hughes, Clipped Wings:

     Look me up next time you’re in town—if you can bring me some new ideas.

• look someone up and down
• look up to
• lookup

• uplook