AAAmerican Accent US

look for

Inseparable

The verb and particle never split. The object always follows the whole phrase.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: look FOR. Saying “LOOK for” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

Do not release the /k/. Before the consonant of “for” the stop is held and swallowed rather than popped — the same unreleased-stop move as in hot dog. One smooth unit: “look for”.

What it means

  1. To search for something or someone.

    • “Martha has been looking for a new job for months now.”
    • “He looked for his keys, which always seemed to go missing.”

    Similar: search for, seek

The particle logic

for

A target, a purpose, or a substitution.

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More LOOK phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

look up

To search for information in a reference source.

look after

To take care of someone or something.

look forward to

To feel pleased about something that is going to happen. Always followed by a noun or an -ING form, never an infinitive.

look up to

To admire and respect someone.

look down on

To consider someone inferior.

look into

To investigate something.

look out

To be careful — usually shouted as a warning.

look over

To examine something fairly quickly.

look through

To examine a collection item by item.

look back

To think about the past.

look for — meaning, examples & how to say it