look after

Meaning

'Look after' means to take care of someone or something by keeping them safe, healthy, or in good condition. It is frequently used when talking about babysitting children, watching pets, or maintaining possessions. It is a warm, responsible, and practical phrasal verb.

Examples

• Could you look after my dog while I'm away on vacation next weekend?

  Could you look after my dog while I'm away on vacation next weekend?

• She stayed home to look after her sick grandmother.

  She stayed home to look after her sick grandmother.

• You need to look after your health by eating well and getting enough sleep.

  You need to look after your health by eating well and getting enough sleep.

• He is very responsible and always looks after his younger siblings.

  He is very responsible and always looks after his younger siblings.

• Who is going to look after the garden while we are moving?

  Who is going to look after the garden while we are moving?

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I need to look for my baby tonight.

  ✓ I need to look after my baby tonight.

  'Look for' means to search for something lost, while 'look after' means to take care of someone.

• ✗ Please look after of my plants.

  ✓ Please look after my plants.

  'Look after' does not require the preposition 'of'. The object follows 'after' directly.

Related Expressions

Practice

• My neighbor agreed to ___ my cats while I am traveling.

  💡 take care of

  Show answer

  look after

• You should ___ yourself and not work so hard.

  💡 take care of your health or well-being

  Show answer

  look after