Ways of looking and seeing

Look
verb [I]
to direct your eyes in order to see:

• Look! There's grandma.
• They looked at the picture and laughed.

noun [C]
when you look at someone or something:

• She gave him a look of real dislike.
• Take a (good) look at this picture and see if you recognize anyone.
• Can I have a look at your dictionary?

Watch
verb
1 [I or T] to look at something for a period of time, especially something that is changing or moving:

• I had dinner and watched TV for a couple of hours.
• He spent the entire afternoon watching a cricket match.

2 [T] to stay with something or someone such as a child for a short time to make certain that they are safe:

• If you want me to watch the kids for a couple of hours while you go out, just let me know.
• Could you watch my bags for me, while I go to the toilet?

noun [S or U]
when you watch or give attention to something or someone, especially to make certain nothing bad happens:

• Once your name has been linked with a drug offence, the police keep a close watch on you.
• The soldiers slept at night, except for one who stayed awake on watch/to keep watch.

Glance
verb [I usually + adverb or preposition]
to give a quick short look:

• She glanced around/round the room to see who was there.
• He glanced up from his book as I passed.
• Could you glance over/through this letter and see if it's alright?

noun [C]

• She took/cast a glance at her watch.

Glimpse
verb [T]
to see something or someone for a very short time or only partly: (cannot control it)

• We glimpsed the ruined abbey from the windows of the train.

noun [C]
1 when you see something or someone for a very short time:

• I only caught (= had) a fleeting glimpse of the driver of the getaway car, but I doubt I would recognize her if I saw her again.

2 a brief idea or understanding of what something is like:

• This biography offers a few glimpses of his life before he became famous.

Scan
verb -nn-
1 [T] to look at something carefully, with the eyes or with a machine, in order to obtain information:

• She anxiously scanned the faces of the men leaving the train.
• Doug scanned the horizon for any sign of the boat.

2 [I + adverb or preposition; T] to look through a text quickly in order to find a piece of information that you want or to get a general idea of what the text contains:

• I scanned through the booklet but couldn't find the address.
• Scan the newspaper article quickly and make a note of the main points.

noun
1 [S] when you look at or through something carefully or quickly:

• I gave the book a quick scan, and decided not to buy it.

2 [C] a medical examination in which an image of the inside of the body is made using a special machine:

• to do a brain scan
• to have an ultrasound scan

Squint
verb [I]
to partly close your eyes in order to see more clearly:

• The sun was shining straight in her eyes which made her squint.

noun [C] INFORMAL OLD-FASHIONED
a quick look:

• "The back wheel of my bike doesn't seem straight." "I'll have/take a squint at it if you like."

Wink
verb [I]
1 to close one eye briefly as a way of greeting someone or showing friendliness, affection, sexual attraction etc., or of showing that you are not serious about something you have said:

• She winked at me as he turned his back.
• For a moment I thought he was being serious, but then he winked at me.

2 When lights wink, they keep flashing on and off quickly:

• Reflected in the water, the lights winked at us from the other side of the lake.
• The light was winking on the answering machine.

noun [C]
when you wink at someone:

• He gave me a conspiratorial wink as they left the room.

Peer
verb [I usually + adverb or preposition]
to look carefully or with difficulty:

• When no one answered the door, she peered through the window to see if anyone was there.
• The driver was peering into the distance trying to read the road sign.

Glare
noun [C]
a long angry look:

• She gave me a fierce glare.

verb [I]

• She glared angrily at everyone and stormed out of the room.

(definitions and examples from Cambridge dictionary)


Gaze
verb [I usually + adverb or preposition]
to look at something or someone for a long time, especially in surprise, admiration or because you are thinking about something else:

• Annette gazed admiringly at Warren as he spoke.
• He spends hours gazing out of the window when he should be working.