look around — to visit a place and look at the things in it
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to walk through a place and see what is there, often because you are interested or thinking about spending time or money there.
Say it like a native
Textbook We spent the afternoon viewing the various exhibits.
Native We spent the afternoon looking around.
'Look around' is the everyday verb for browsing a place. 'Viewing the various exhibits' is formal.
Pattern: look around (somewhere)
In use
- We had some time before our train, so we decided to look around the city center.daily life
- When I visit a new university, I always look around the campus to get a feel for the environment before making any decisions.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Can I look around in the shop?
✓ Can I look around the shop? / Can I just look around?
'Look around + place' directly (no 'in'), or stand-alone 'look around'.
Common collocations
look around— the shop, the house, a bit, for a while
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'look for,' which means to search for something specific.