Meaning trap
look up
search for information
To try to find information about something, usually in a book, online, or in a list.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To try to find information about something, usually in a book, online, or in a list.
Another meaning of 'look up' is 'improve'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
If you don't know the word, you can look it up in the dictionary.
During my studies, I often have to look up new terms online to understand my textbooks better.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: Let me look up it online.
Say: Let me look it up online.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'look it up'.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Look up' is the everyday verb for searching for a fact. 'Consult a dictionary' is formal and old-fashioned in speech.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
look up + info
- a word
- the address
- the time
- the score
Don't confuse it
Related
Other meanings and phrases to compare.
- look up (improve) — Another meaning of 'look up' is 'improve'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.