To look up something means to search for a piece of information, for example in a dictionary, a list or online.
What Does Look Up Mean?
You look something up when you want to find a specific fact: a word, a phone number, a time, an address.
It is one of the most useful phrasal verbs for learners, because learning English means looking up a lot of words!
You may also hear two other meanings:
- Things are looking up means things are getting better.
- Look up can also simply mean raise your eyes: She looked up from her phone.
This article focuses on the main meaning: finding information.
Natural Examples
I didn't know the word "petrichor", so I looked it up.
Can you look up the train times for Saturday?
She looked the address up on her phone before leaving.
Can You Separate It?
Yes. Look up is separable: the thing you are looking for can go in the middle.
With a noun, both places are fine.
✅ Look up the word.
✅ Look the word up.
With it, him, her, them, the small word must go in the middle.
✅ Look it up.
❌ Look up it.
How to Use It
Say where you look something up with in or on:
- look it up in a dictionary
- look it up on your phone
- look it up online
It changes like any normal verb:
- I look up new words every day.
- I'm looking up the recipe now.
- She looked up the answer.
People also say "Look it up!" when someone could easily find the answer themselves.
Common Mistakes
Where does "it" go? In the middle.
❌ I don't know this word, so I'll look up it.
✅ I don't know this word, so I'll look it up.
Information or a lost thing? Lost things need look for.
❌ I'm looking up my keys. Have you seen them?
✅ I'm looking for my keys. Have you seen them?
In a Conversation
Sam: What does "hangry" mean?
Lea: No idea. Let's look it up.
Sam: Oh! Angry because you're hungry. That's me before lunch.
Easy Way to Remember It
Think of it as the filling in a sandwich: look it up.
The bread is on the outside, and the small word it always goes in the middle.
And remember: you look up information, but you look for things you have lost.
Similar Expressions
- search for something: a little more formal. I searched for the answer online.
- check something: to make sure a fact is right. Can you check the opening hours?
- google something: informal, and only for internet searches. Just google it.
Quick Check
- I don't know that word. I'll ______. (look up it / look it up)
- Is this sentence correct? Look the address up before you go.
- I'm ______ my glasses. Have you seen them? (looking up / looking for)
- What does "things are looking up" mean?
Answers
- look it up: the small word it goes in the middle.
- Yes. With a noun like the address, both places are fine.
- looking for: you look for lost things.
- Things are getting better.