look up — admire someone
To respect or admire someone, often because you think they are important, talented, or have good qualities.
Say it like a native
Textbook Many young athletes hold him in high regard.
Native A lot of young players look up to him.
'Look up to' is the natural verb for admiring someone. 'Hold in high regard' is formal. (This sense needs 'to' + a person.)
Pattern: look up to someone
In use
- Many young athletes look up to Serena Williams as a source of inspiration.relationships
- In my opinion, children benefit greatly when they have someone to look up to, as it encourages them to develop positive values and ambitions.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ I really look up my grandfather.
✓ I really look up to my grandfather.
To admire a person you must say 'look up TO'. Bare 'look up' means search for info or raise your eyes.
Common collocations
look up to— to him, to her parents, to a mentor, to older kids
Don't confuse it
This sense is a figurative use and always requires 'to' (look up to someone), unlike the B1 sense 'look up' (search for information), which does not take 'to'. It is also different from the B2 sense (improve), which never refers to people.
Related
- look up (search for information) — 'look up' also has the more basic meaning 'search for information'; this is the advanced sense.