lookup

1 of 2

noun

look·​up ˈlu̇k-ˌəp 

variants or look-up

: an act, process, or instance of looking something up (as in a reference work or listing)

dictionary lookups

a price look-up

look up

2 of 2

verb

looked up; looking up; looks up

intransitive verb

1

: to cheer up

look up—things are not all bad

2

: to improve in prospects or conditions

business is looking up

transitive verb

1

: to search for in or as if in a reference work

look up an address

2

: to seek out especially for a brief visit

look me up when you're here

Synonyms of lookup

Verb

• pursue
• seek
• search (for or out)

Examples of lookup in a Sentence

Verb

be sure to look me up if you're ever in town

by the next morning, the skies had begun to clear and we were looking up

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Other information can also be obtained from the online lookup tool. — CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

Paste the message into the site's lookup tool, or upload your screenshot. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Verb

As the train passes under the Royal Gorge Bridge, Clawson encourages me to open the cab window, lean back, and look up. — Sarah Kuta, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Nov. 2026

In Clarksdale, visit the Delta Blues Museum; in Greenville, look up at the bald cypress trees in the Greenville Cypress Preserve. — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 4 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1948, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

lookup

1 of 2 noun

look·​up ˈlu̇k-ˌəp 

: the process or an instance of looking something up

especially : the process of matching by computer the words of a text with material stored in memory

look up

2 of 2 verb

: to seek for or out

look up a word in the dictionary

look up a friend