spend time looking for vs spend time to look for

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Spend time looking for' is more commonly used when describing the act of searching for something, while 'spend time to look for' is less common and might be used when emphasizing the purpose of spending time.

Last updated: March 31, 2024 • 1052 views

spend time looking for

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to describe the act of searching for something by investing time in the process.

Examples:

I spent hours looking for my keys.
She spent a lot of time looking for a new apartment.
They spent the whole day looking for the missing dog.
He spent weeks looking for a solution to the problem.
We spent a long time looking for the perfect gift.

Show examples from the web [+]

So we should spend our time looking for that person.
I hope you remember because I do. I can't spend my time looking for stuff.
See, I put the knife in someone else's hands, then you clowns spend your time looking for them and not for me.
Would you rather I spend my time looking for your mother or you?
I know where the badger setts are, and where to find the lesser spotted woodpecker, but I don't spend my time looking for teenagers.
Mostly young men... who spend all their time looking for deleted Smiths singles... and original - not re-released, underlined - Frank Zappa albums.
No! You'll spend all your time looking for somewhere half as secure as this.
Someone calls in, reports seeing a white van, and cops spend all of their time looking for it while more people die.
When you're a spy, you spend a lot of time looking for people's hiding places.
I hope you'll spend as much time looking for them as you do investigating this codswallop.
Okay, I'm going to put us in a high orbit, spend a little time looking around for the best spot before we put down.
Sometimes, but most of the time we spend looking for other Alphas.
Okay, I'm going to put us in a high orbit, spend a little time looking around for the best spot before we put down.
I then kind of thought about the other cities in Europe where I spend a lot of time looking for design, like Basel, where Vitra is located, or in northern Italy -
We also need to spend time looking at existing legislation and seeing whether it has achieved the effect that we asked for.
I spend my time looking through the window.
Mr President, the role of the inspectors appears to be crucial to this debate so perhaps I should spend some time looking at their activities.
And in my opinion, we don't spend enough time looking at that natural laboratory and figuring out first what's safe to do on Earth.
You have to spend time with me without looking at your phone.
I spend the rest of time looking out the window.

Alternatives:

dedicate time to searching for
invest time in searching for
devote time to looking for

spend time to look for

This phrase is correct but less commonly used in English.

This phrase might be used when emphasizing the purpose of spending time in order to search for something.

Examples:

She decided to spend time to look for a solution to the problem.
He will spend time to look for a new job.
They are willing to spend time to look for ways to improve the situation.
I need to spend time to look for a reliable mechanic.
We should spend time to look for a better approach.

Show examples from the web [+]

We are asking the Commission to look at the various national health schemes and to examine ways of ensuring a fair deal for those who spend time working in another EU country.
I also didn't ask to look after you or have to spend time with you.
Can't we spend the time discussing what looks like smallpox but isn't smallpox?
This is the worst time to look for work.
It's time to look for a woman.
And I really wish I'd had time to look for both.
No time to look for him.
We don't have time to look for something else.
Now would probably be a good time to look for other employment options.
Consequently, it is time to look for new ways of reducing emissions.
That's a long time to look for something.
Time to look for a new career.
This isn't the time to look for those responsible.
It was time to look for Alexander.
I'm travelling back in time to look for the key advances that drove their remarkable success.
Some foreigners like this region, but they have no time to look for every person.
And the best time to look for a job is when you already have one.
An awful long time to look for the cell phone.
Once I blow these out, it's time to look for your first clue.
Well, as long as we're stuck here, this might be a good time to look for that tick.

Alternatives:

allocate time to search for
set aside time to look for
dedicate time to searching for

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

spend time looking for vs spend time to look for