Looks

How to spell looks

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce looks

What does looks mean?

1. verbThird-person singular form of 'to look': to direct one's gaze, or to appear or seem a certain way.
2. nounA person's physical appearance, especially when attractive.

Looks in a sentence

• verb

  She looks tired after the long commute home.

• noun

  She relied on talent rather than her looks to win the role.

• verb

  He always looks both ways before crossing the road.

• noun

  Good looks alone will not carry a long career.

Where does looks come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is an inflected form of the verb 'look', which comes from the Old English locian, meaning 'to gaze, behold, or direct one's eyes'. The original sense was simply the act of turning the eyes toward something, and over the centuries it broadened to cover the idea of appearing or seeming a certain way, as in 'it looks easy'. The noun use, meaning a person's appearance, grew naturally out of that verb during the medieval period. Related forms survive in some West Germanic languages, though English speakers will recognise the everyday relatives 'outlook' and 'overlook' that build on the same root. The spelling stays reassuringly regular: the double 'o' carries the short 'uu' sound and a plain '-s' is simply added.

How the word is built

• look (Old English locian: to see, gaze)
• -s (third-person singular verb / plural noun ending)