1.
to take care of a person or an animal
“Can you look after the kids tonight?”
“She looks after her elderly mother.”
“I'll look after your dog while you're away.”
Synonyms: to take care of, to mind, to babysit
Phrasal verb
What does look after mean?
Meaning: to take care of someone or something
B1
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Quick answer
Look after = to take care of someone or an animal. It is a non-separable phrasal verb: look after the baby ✓ / look the baby after ❌. Can you look after my dog? = can you take care of my dog?
Meanings of the phrasal verb
2.
to take care of your things
common“Look after your phone, it's expensive.”
“He doesn't look after his car.”
Synonyms: to take care of, to maintain
Word order
Inseparable
The object goes after the particle, never between the verb and the particle.
Forms
- Present Simple:
- look after
- Past Simple:
- looked after
- Past participle:
- looked after
- -ing form:
- looking after
Common mistakes to avoid
Not separable: never split it
Look after is not separable. Look the children after ❌ / Look after the children ✓. With a pronoun: look after them ✓ (the pronoun comes AFTER the particle).
Look after is not look for
Look after = to take care of. Look for = to try to find. I'm looking for my keys = I'm trying to find my keys. I'm looking after my keys ❌ (it makes no sense).
Look after is not watch
Look after = to take care of (you are responsible). Watch = to keep your eyes on someone for a short time. Watch the kids = keep your eyes on them. Look after the kids = take care of them.
Practice quiz
Question 1 / 3The Big Challenge question bank
Related pages: look after
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
What's next?
Look after: you understand the rule. Now practise it.
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English contestLook after: often tested in the English contest
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Frequently asked questions
What does look after mean?+
Look after means to take care of a person, an animal or a thing. Look after the kids = take care of the children. The idea is that you are responsible for someone or something.
Is look after separable?+
No, it is not separable. You always say look after + object: look after the baby ✓, never look the baby after ❌. With a pronoun: look after them, never look them after.
What is the difference between look after and take care of?+
They mean almost the same. Look after is a little more British and very common for children and animals. Take care of is used everywhere and for more things (objects, problems, people). Both are correct.
What is the difference between look after, look for and look at?+
Look at = to point your eyes at something. Look for = to try to find something. Look after = to take care of someone. These three phrasal verbs with look are very different: learn them together.
Is look after the same as babysit?+
Almost. I look after children = I take care of children. I babysit is one verb for the same job, often for money. The babysitter looks after the kids = the babysitter takes care of them.
Related phrasal verbs
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/phrasal-verbs/look-after
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.