Watch out! means “Be careful!”: it's a warning about danger right now. The second meaning is to be on your guard against something: watch out for pickpockets. The phrase is conversational and is heard more often in speech than in writing.
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Watch out!; watch out for + danger/person/mistake
- Watch out! The floor is still wet after cleaning.
- When you drive in the mountains, watch out for falling rocks.
- My teacher told me to watch out for spelling mistakes in my essays.
What changed
First versionWatch out the car behind you!
RevisionWatch out for the car behind you!
After watch out, the danger is introduced by for: watch out for the car. The mistake comes from treating watch out like watch, which takes a direct object: watch the car. Without an object, watch out stands alone: Watch out!
People shout Watch out! when the danger is right in front of someone. Be careful is general advice for the future: Be careful on the roads tonight. Look out! means the same as Watch out! and is just as common in Britain.
Your turn
This street is full of pickpockets, so ___ for anyone standing too close to you.
Show the answer
watch out — You need to be on your guard against the people nearby: watch out for. Look after means “take care of, mind”, and with for after it the sentence doesn't work.
Warn a friend who is travelling to an unfamiliar city. Name one specific danger and the place where they might come across it.
Watch out for fake taxi drivers at the airport and always use the official taxi desk.
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