phrasal verb (transitive) · neutral
look someone over
UK/lʊk ˈsʌmwʌn ˌəʊvə(r)/US/lʊk ˈsʌmwʌn ˌoʊvər/LOOK some·ONE O·ver
to examine or appraise someone quickly by looking them from head to toe
Examples
“He looked her over before offering the job, noting her professional appearance.”
“The coach looked the new recruits over during practice.”
“Don't feel offended if someone looks you over; they may be assessing your qualifications.”
Band 8 sentence
“Before appointing a director, the board looked her over thoroughly to ensure she matched the organisation's values.”
Collocations
- look someone over for suitability
- look someone over quickly
Word family
Common mistakes
translate as "nhìn qua" meaning superficially only→use "look someone over" to show scanning/evaluation from head to toe
Say it for a higher band
5check someone out→6look someone over→7+size someone up
Synonyms
size someone up
examine
Easily confused
look someone over
“The manager looked the applicant over before the interview.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In look …
Learn it with its set