look something up
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Search for information in a reference source
Literally: examine an entry in a directory
Register: neutral
Examples
I'll look up the phone number online
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Everyday learner phrase (CEFR A2); level cross-referenced from published learner lists. Definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “look something up” mean?
Search for information in a reference source Literally: examine an entry in a directory
Is “look something up” formal or informal?
look something up is generally neutral.