“Look out!” is a warning that means “Be careful!”, and “look out for” means to watch carefully so that you don't miss someone or something. The warning is short and used when danger is very close: Look out, the pan is hot! With “for”, the phrase is useful when you are waiting for someone in a crowd, searching for a good deal or checking a text for mistakes.
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Look out!; look out for + person/thing; look out of + the window (US: look out the window)
- Look out! There's a cyclist coming up right behind you.
- When you check your essay, look out for missing articles and wrong prepositions.
- I'm looking out for a cheap second-hand bike, so tell me if you see one.
What changed
First versionI looked in the window and saw that it was snowing.
RevisionI looked out of the window and saw that it was snowing.
“Look in the window” means to look through a window from outside: into someone's room or into a shop window. To look from inside at the street, say “look out of the window”, or “look out the window” in American English.
“Look after” is easy to confuse with “look out for”, but it means to take care of someone or something: Could you look after my plants while I'm away? “Look out for” usually means to watch for something so that you notice it in time. “Look out for someone” can also mean to protect someone and stand up for them: My older sister always looked out for me at school. But when you ask someone to water your plants or babysit, only “look after” works.
Your turn
At the conference, ___ a woman in a green scarf: she's the organiser and has your badge.
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look out for — You need to spot the organiser in the crowd to get your badge, so “look out for” is right. “Look after” would mean that you are asked to take care of her, and she doesn't need that.
Give advice to a friend who is visiting an unfamiliar city for the first time. Say what they should look out for and explain why.
When you arrive at the station, look out for the official taxi rank, because drivers who come up to you inside often charge much more.
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