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Definition of look at phrasal verb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

 

look at

 phrasal verb
phrasal verb
 
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Phrasal Verbs

    look at something

     
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  1. 1to examine something closely Your ankle's swollen—I think the doctor ought to look at it. I haven't had time to look at (= read) the paper yet.
  2. 2to think about, consider, or study something The implications of the new law will need to be looked at. Thesaurusexamine
    • consider
    • look at something
    • analyze
    • review
    • study
    • discuss
    These words all mean to think about, study, or describe someone or something carefully, especially in order to understand them, form an opinion of them, or make a decision about them.
    • examine to think about, study, or describe an idea, subject, or piece of work very carefully:These ideas will be examined in more detail in Chapter 10.
    • consider to think carefully about something, especially in order to make a decision:She carefully considered her options.
    • look at something (somewhat informal) to consider, think about, or study something, especially in order to learn something useful or important:I'm going to look at the budget estimates on the weekend.
    • analyze to examine the nature or structure of something, especially by separating it into its parts, in order to understand or explain it:The job involves gathering and analyzing data. He tried to analyze his feelings.
    • review to examine something again, especially so that you can decide whether any changes need to be made:The government will review the situation later in the year.
    • study to examine someone or something in order to understand them or it:We will study the report carefully before making a decision.
    examine or study?
    • You examine something in order to understand it or to help other people understand it, for example by describing it in a book; you study something in order to understand it yourself.
    • discuss to write or talk about something in detail, showing the different ideas and opinions about it:This topic will be discussed at greater length in the next chapter.
    Patterns
    • to examine/consider/look at/analyze/review/study/discuss what/how/whether…
    • to examine/consider/look at/analyze/review/study/discuss the situation/evidence/implications
    • to examine/consider/look at/analyze/review/study/discuss something carefully/critically/systematically/briefly
  3. 3to view or consider something in a particular way Looking at it from that point of view, his decision is easier to understand.
See look at in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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