TKG English Learner's Dictionary

look after

look afterphrasal verb

American /lʊk ˈæf.tɚ/ British /lʊk ˈɑːf.tə/
third-person singular looks after past tense looked after past participle looked after present participle looking after
very commondefining vocabulary

Look after means take care of a person, an animal, or a thing, or be responsible for it.

  1. a person or animaltake care of someone or something by giving them what they need and keeping them safe

    transitive [T] verb + preposition + object [V + prep + obj]

    Collocations

    verb + noun look after the children, look after the baby, look after a pet, look after a patient
    verb + adverb look after someone well, look after someone properly

    Synonyms care for (care for is a little more formal); care

    Compare mind (mind the children means look after them for a short time, mainly in British English); look for (look for means try to find)

    1. akeep yourself safe and healthy, or manage on your own without help

      Collocations

      phrase look after yourself, can look after himself

  2. a thing or a taskbe responsible for something, and deal with it or keep it in good condition

    transitive [T] verb + preposition + object [V + prep + obj]

    Collocations

    verb + noun look after the house, look after the garden, look after the accounts, look after your health

    Synonyms maintain (maintain is more formal and is used for machines and buildings)

Word family

  • look

Usage

Look after is understood everywhere but is more common in British English; American speakers more often say take care of, which means the same in both senses.

Common mistakes

look the children after look after the children
Look after cannot be separated.
I am looking after my keys. I am looking for my keys.
Look for means try to find; look after means take care of.

For translators

Meaning across languages One English phrase covers caring for a child, a sick person, an animal, and a thing or a task; many languages use a different verb for each.
Grammar trap Look after is never separated: look after the baby, look after her, never look her after. It takes its object directly, with no second preposition: look after someone, not look after of someone. The passive is possible: the garden is well looked after.
Pronunciation trap In British English after has the broad a of father and no r sound; in American English it has the short a of cat and ends in an r sound. Look rhymes with book.