An urgent exclamation warning someone of immediate danger.
"Look out! There's a car coming straight at you!"
Look out! He's got a knife!
— Common exclamation in countless films and TV dramas; cited in numerous English language learning corpora
A warning to be alert to immediate danger, or to watch carefully for something.
Watch out! There's danger close by!
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
An urgent exclamation warning someone of immediate danger.
"Look out! There's a car coming straight at you!"
Look out! He's got a knife!
— Common exclamation in countless films and TV dramas; cited in numerous English language learning corpora
To be watchful and alert for something expected or potentially harmful.
"Look out for black ice on the roads this morning."
(British English) To find and retrieve something from a collection or storage.
"I'll look out those old photos for you before you visit."
To direct your eyes outward, as when looking out a window.
Watch out! There's danger close by!
As an exclamation ('Look out!'), it is used across all English varieties. As a general instruction to be watchful, it is slightly more informal. Common in both British and American English.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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