To watch something happen without taking part in it.
You just watch something but don't do anything about it.
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
To watch an event or activity as a spectator, without joining in.
"Hundreds of people looked on as the street performers juggled fire."
The world looked on as the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.
— Widely used in news reporting, e.g. BBC News archives, November 1989
To watch something happen without intervening, often when intervention might be expected.
"She could only look on helplessly as the car rolled into the ditch."
They looked on in horror as the building collapsed.
— Common journalistic phrasing; used in numerous news reports, e.g. The Guardian
To keep your gaze directed onward or onto something.
You just watch something but don't do anything about it.
Often carries a slightly negative tone, suggesting the watcher could or should have acted. Common in both British and American English.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "look on" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.