look forward to
English meaning: Look forward to
Definition
To feel pleased and excited about something that is going to happen.
Example
“I'm really looking forward to seeing my old friends at the reunion next month in our hometown.”
Another example: “The children are looking forward to their summer holiday by the sea.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A warm, positive phrasal verb used in both speech and writing. It is followed by a noun or by an -ing verb, never an infinitive: 'I look forward to seeing you' (not 'to see'). The formal closing 'I look forward to hearing from you' is standard in letters and emails.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
A fixed three-part phrasal verb combining 'look', 'forward' and 'to', used since the 17th century to mean expecting eagerly.
Related Words
Common Collocations
- look forward to seeing you
- look forward to hearing from you
- really look forward to
- look forward to the weekend
- eagerly look forward to
- much to look forward to
Word Forms
look forward to; looked forward to; looking forward to; looks forward to
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B