Phrasal Verb – Look up.
Meaning 1 – Look (something) up – To try to find some information in a book, on a list, or on a computer. If you are looking something up, you are trying to find a specific piece of information. On a computer you can look things up on the internet, on a website or in any form of electronic documentation.
- This phrasal verb is separable.
- “I don’t know how to spell that word. I will look it up in a dictionary.”
Meaning 2 – Look (someone) up – To visit someone when you are in the area where they live. If you look someone up you plan to visit them when you are in their neck of the woods.
- This phrasal verb is separable.
- “Are you visiting Shanghai next year? You must look me up if you are!“
Meaning 3 – Look up (usually with for) – To become better. If a situation is looking up, it is improving.
- This phrasal verb is not separable.
- “Things are really looking up for me at the moment!”
In The News:
Things are looking up for the global economy
What is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with 1 or 2 small words. These small words are particles. A particle can be a preposition or adverb. The phrasal verb has a different meaning from the verb alone because the particle changes the meaning of the verb.
Some phrasal verbs can be separated. When we change the tense of the phrasal verb we only modify the verb part. The particle remains the same.
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