lookup

1 of 2

noun

look·​up ˈlu̇k-ˌəp How to pronounce lookup (audio)
variants or look-up
: an act, process, or instance of looking something up (as in a reference work or listing)
dictionary lookups
a price look-up

look up

2 of 2

verb

looked up; looking up; looks up

intransitive verb

1
: to cheer up
look up—things are not all bad
2
: to improve in prospects or conditions
business is looking up

transitive verb

1
: to search for in or as if in a reference work
look up an address
2
: to seek out especially for a brief visit
look me up when you're here

Examples of lookup in a Sentence

Verb be sure to look me up if you're ever in town by the next morning, the skies had begun to clear and we were looking up
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.
Noun
The phishing toolkit also performs live lookups of Mail Exchange records, which tell it what email provider the victim uses. Alex Vakulov, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025 To find the school board member representing you, use the address lookup map above to find your district and then select that option from the drop-down below. Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
Looking down into the pit is not a powerful moment — looking up at this teenager that is desperate to get out of the wilderness and kill this false prophet in Lottie is powerful. Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025 Met Jimmy Carter at Habitat for Humanity From a young age, Janet’s niece Jennifer Andrew looked up to her aunt’s eccentric and artistic personality. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lookup

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1948, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lookup was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lookup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lookup. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

lookup

1 of 2 noun
look·​up ˈlu̇k-ˌəp How to pronounce lookup (audio)
: the process or an instance of looking something up
especially : the process of matching by computer the words of a text with material stored in memory

look up

2 of 2 verb
: to seek for or out
look up a word in the dictionary
look up a friend
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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