Definition

Verb phrase: - To have a similar appearance to someone or something: This is the primary meaning, indicating that one person or thing shares visual characteristics with another. - To give the impression or appearance of being something: This meaning describes creating an outward perception, often based on visual cues.

Usage

• Use "look like" to compare physical appearances between people, animals, or objects.
• Use "look like" to describe the impression or likelihood of a situation based on its appearance.
• The phrase is followed by a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase (e.g., "look like her," "look like rain").

Examples

• Physical resemblance:
  • With that curly hair, you look like your father when he was young.
  • That cloud looks like a giant rabbit.
• Impression or likelihood:
  • Those dark clouds look like rain. (It appears that it will rain.)
  • It looks like we're going to be late for the meeting. (The current situation suggests we will be late.)

Advanced Usage

• "To look like oneself": To appear as one typically does, often in terms of health or demeanor.
  • After a good night's sleep, you finally look like yourself again.
• "To look like nothing on earth" (idiomatic): To have a very strange or unattractive appearance.
  • After the accident, the car looked like nothing on earth.

Variants and Related Words

• Resemble (verb): To be similar to in appearance or character. A more formal synonym.
  • She closely resembles her grandmother.
• Take after (phrasal verb): To resemble a family member in appearance, character, or behavior.
  • He really takes after his mother; they have the same sense of humor.

Synonyms

• Appear similar to
• Bear a resemblance to
• Seem

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Look as if / Look as though: Functionally similar to "look like" when describing an impression. Often followed by a clause.
  • It looks as if the package has already been delivered.
  • She looked as though she had seen a ghost.

Related Idioms

• Look like a million dollars (bucks): To look extremely attractive, healthy, or stylish.
  • In her new dress, she looked like a million dollars.
• Look like death warmed over/up: To look very ill or tired.
  • You should go home; you look like death warmed over.

Verb

1. bear a physical resemblance to
   • She looks like her mother