Use look up when you consult a book, website or other reference for information. The object can be a word, a date or an opening time. Looking something up describes the check, even if the source has no answer.

The idea

Say look up the bus times / look the bus times up, but look them up. Add -ed for looked. Use in a dictionary and on a website to name the reference; on a phone names the device.

Examples

  • Lea looked up the bus times on her phone.
  • Lea looked the bus times up on her phone.
  • She looked them up before leaving home.
  • I am looking up this word in a dictionary.
  • Can you look up the museum’s opening hours?
  • Omar looked up the date, but the website gave no answer.

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Watch out

This information meaning is different from looking upwards. Searching for a missing physical object is usually look for it, not look it up. Keep pronouns before up: look it up, not look up it.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the correct option. The bus times are online. Look ___. (them up / up them)

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    them up

    The object pronoun them replaces the bus times and goes before up.

  2. Choose the correct option. I am looking up this word ___ a dictionary. (in / at)

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    in

    A dictionary is the reference being consulted, so use in a dictionary.

  3. Choose the correct option. Omar ___ up the date yesterday. (looked / lookt)

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    looked

    Look is regular: its past form is looked, even though the ending sounds like /t/.

Use it today

Choose a word and a place whose opening hours you want to know. Say where you will check each, then replace the word or hours with it or them.