look through

phrasal verb

looked through; looking through; looks through
1
: to read or briefly examine some of the pages of (a book, magazine, etc.)
She was looking through a magazine as she waited in the doctor's office.
2
: to look at the different parts of (a collection or group of things)
I looked through all his letters.
3
: to place one's eyes so as to see through (something)
look through a telescope
4
: to pretend not to see or recognize (someone) in a rude or unfriendly way
We used to be best friends but when she passed me on the street yesterday she looked (right/straight) through me without even saying hello!

Examples of look through in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In order to send Ring video to the police, those who get the alert can look through their footage, select relevant video clips, and upload them through the system. Liz Kreutz, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026 The hearing comes days after some lawmakers visited a Justice Department office to look through unredacted versions of the files. Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026 Meanwhile, several lawmakers also planned on Monday to look through unredacted versions of the files on Epstein that the Department of Justice has released to comply with a law passed by Congress last year. Stephen Groves, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026 Book an astronomy tour to look through professional telescopes and learn more about the celestial beauty above. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 4 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for look through

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Look through.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/look%20through. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster