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looking to

phrase

present participle of look to
1
as in relying
to place reliance or trust They always looked to their mother for advice.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in looking out for
to attend to the needs and comforts of She looked to the dogs when her neighbor was out of town.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for looking to
  1. looking after
  2. doing for
Phrase
  • An experienced employee shouldn’t have to choose between years of dedication to their job and looking after their aging parents.
    — Scott Parrish, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Olivia Claire Williford, president of the university’s Associated Student Body, said the deaths have encouraged students to have conversations about taking care of themselves and looking after their peers.
    — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of looking after
Phrase
  • Of equal effort but requiring far more generosity is the work Min Jin Lee has been doing for over 30 years, telling stories about the integrity of the human spirit that span time and continents.
    — Josh Zajdman, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Not refreshed old engines, not some mild-hybrid workaround, but genuinely new small-blocks designed to keep eight cylinders doing what eight cylinders have been doing for decades.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of doing for
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.

Browse Nearby Words

looking over
looking to
looking (toward)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Looking to.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looking%20to. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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