to be on the lookout vs to look out

Both phrases are correct and commonly used in English, but they have slightly different meanings. 'To be on the lookout' implies actively watching or searching for something, while 'to look out' is more general and can mean to be cautious or to watch out for potential dangers.

Last updated: March 24, 2024

to be on the lookout

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to mean actively watching or searching for something.

This phrase is used to indicate that someone is actively searching for or watching out for something specific. It implies a sense of alertness and readiness.

Examples:

The police are on the lookout for the suspect.
I'll be on the lookout for any good deals at the store.
We need to be on the lookout for any signs of danger.
She's always on the lookout for new opportunities.
The team is on the lookout for a new manager.

Show examples from the web [+]

Telling us to be on the lookout for al-Qaeda.
We are warning everyone to be on the lookout And to report any suspicious behavior.
Let's get Patrol to be on the lookout for all vehicles with cloned plates.
Alert the local hospitals to be on the lookout for a gunshot victim.
Tell them to be on the lookout.
Asking all my police officer friends to be on the lookout for five golden puppies.
And we've a request from County to be on the lookout for a George Aldridge. Absconded from Farnleigh tea-time Saturday.
You told me to be on the lookout for anything coming from Caza.
We post a picture of Keith's plane and ask the group's fans to be on the lookout.
Someone told me to be on the lookout for a guy like you. Really?
That's right. I sent him a telegram asking him to be on the lookout for them just in case.
I'll notify local E.R.s to be on the lookout for hand lacerations.
We all need to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity.
We've been asked to be on the lookout.
I alerted local waste management to be on the lookout for hazardous materials.
Another thing aboveground space colonists... will have to be on the lookout for... is meteors.
Remember, be sure to be on the lookout for potential KTs.
Garcia, call the Iowa State Police, tell them to be on the lookout for a minivan headed East towards route 6.
We got to be on the lookout for a silver vehicle that's driving erratically.
Tell them to be on the lookout for the unsub's RV.

Alternatives:

to watch out for
to be vigilant
to keep an eye out
to be alert
to be attentive

to look out

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to mean being cautious or watching out for potential dangers.

This phrase is more general and can mean to be cautious, to watch out for potential dangers, or to be aware of one's surroundings. It can be used in various contexts to indicate a need for alertness.

Examples:

Look out! There's a car coming.
You need to look out for pickpockets in crowded areas.
Look out for any changes in the weather.
Look out for signs of fatigue in your team members.
Look out for the warning signs of a scam.

Show examples from the web [+]

He made her promise to look out after Emily.
And then he asked Pacey to look out for me.
I told him to look out for you.
I want you to look out the window.
I like to look out for my girls.
His lordship would be lost without me to look out for him.
I'm trying to look out for my son.
Someone had to look out for him.
Used to look out here, you'd see one, maybe two lights.
He asked me to look out properties for your father.
Jews were not allowed to look out of windows overlooking the street.
Got to look out for each other.
People got to look out for themselves.
Just something to look out for.
We got to look out for each other.
Taught me how to look out for something else besides just myself.
My family expected me to look out for her.
Not even to look out the window.
We have to look out for ourselves now.
It's marie you got to look out for.

Alternatives:

to be cautious
to be careful
to be wary
to be on guard
to be attentive

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

to be on the lookout vs to look out