Look away means to turn your eyes away or avoid looking at someone or something. People do this when something feels awkward, embarrassing or unpleasant: after an uncomfortable question, or during a scary scene in a film.
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look away (from + someone/something); can't look away
- She looked away when the doctor started explaining the test results.
- I couldn't look away from the accident on the news.
- He looked away from his screen the second his boss walked in.
What changed
First versionHe looked away at me and didn't answer.
RevisionHe looked away from me and didn't answer.
It's tempting to follow look away with at, by analogy with look at. But look away goes with from: it names the direction you're turning away from, not what you're looking at. So at becomes from.
Don't confuse this with look back — to turn and look behind you, or to think back on the past: I often look back on my student years. Compare: He looked away — he turned his eyes elsewhere; He looked back — he turned to look behind him.
Your turn
When her teacher asked why she hadn't finished the essay, she ___ and stared at her shoes.
Show the answer
looked away — Feeling embarrassed and staring at her shoes is a clear sign she avoided eye contact, not that she turned around. Looked back would mean she turned towards something behind her, which isn't mentioned here.
Describe a moment when you or someone else found it awkward to make eye contact. Say who looked away and why (embarrassment, awkwardness, fear).
When my colleague suddenly started crying in the meeting, I looked away because I felt awkward and didn't want to embarrass her.
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