look through

verb

looked through; looking through; looks through
1
: to read or briefly examine some of the pages of (a book, magazine, etc.)
She was looking through a magazine as she waited in the doctor's office.
2
: to look at the different parts of (a collection or group of things)
I looked through all his letters.
3
: to place one's eyes so as to see through (something)
look through a telescope
4
: to pretend not to see or recognize (someone) in a rude or unfriendly way
We used to be best friends but when she passed me on the street yesterday she looked (right/straight) through me without even saying hello!

Examples of look through in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some bobs can take on a vintage look through styling alone, meaning the underlying cut doesn’t always have to change. — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2026 Silverstein also suggests renting costumes by looking through websites like Facebook Marketplace, Depop and Poshmark. — Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026 Frank spent a week in Buffalo, looking through an archive of Osborn’s papers. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 The premise for it, Goyeneche said, was to verify if growth was sustainable when looked through an ESG perspective. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for look through

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Look through.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/look%20through. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster