look forward to

verb

To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.

“He was not looking forward to having to repair the downed power lines after the wind storm.”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verblook forward to (third-person singular simple present looks forward to, present participle looking forward to, simple past and past participle looked forward to)

present singular third person looks forward to · participle present looking forward to · participle past looked forward to · past looked forward to

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.

    He was not looking forward to having to repair the downed power lines after the wind storm.

    5 more examples

    1794 November 19, George Washington, speech, George Washington's Sixth State of the Union Address, When we call to mind the gracious indulgence of Heaven by which the American people became a nation; when we survey the general prosperity of our country, and look forward to the riches, power, and happiness to which it seems destined, with the deepest regret do I announce to you that during your recess some of the citizens of the United States have been found capable of insurrection.

    I love Elizabeth and look forward to our union with delight.

    1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter V, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume III, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, page 106

    Then a passionate celibacy is all that any of us can look forward to.

    1895, Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest […] , [Act III]

    To such verification, however, we may look forward with reasonable confidence, for Einstein has deduced from the principle of relativity, together with the electromagnetic theory, a number of striking consequences which are remarkably self-consistent.

    1909 May 18, Gilbert Newton Lewis, Richard Chace Tolman, “The Principle of Relativity, and Non-Newtonian Mechanics”, in Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 44: 709-726

    1961 January 17, Dwight D. Eisenhower, speech, Eisenhower's farewell address, Now, on Friday noon, I am to become a private citizen. I am proud to do so. I look forward to it.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
anticipate

Translations

Bulgarian очаквам
  • очаквам (očakvam)anticipate, expect, or wait for
Catalan esperar amb il·lusió
  • esperar amb il·lusióanticipate, expect, or wait for
Chinese Mandarin 期待, 向往
  • 期待 (qīdài)anticipate, expect, or wait for
  • 向往 (xiàngwǎng)anticipate, expect, or wait for
  • 盼望 (pànwàng)anticipate, expect, or wait for
  • 巴望 (bāwàng)anticipate, expect, or wait for
  • 等不及 (děngbují)anticipate, expect, or wait for
  • 期盼 (qīpàn)anticipate, expect, or wait for
Czech těšit se
  • těšit seanticipate, expect, or wait for
Danish glæde sig til, se frem til
  • glæde sig tilanticipate, expect, or wait for
  • se frem tilanticipate, expect, or wait for
Dutch uitkijken naar, zich verheugen op
  • uitkijken naaranticipate, expect, or wait for
  • zich verheugen opanticipate, expect, or wait for
Esperanto antaŭĝoji (pri)
  • antaŭĝoji (pri)anticipate, expect, or wait for
Finnish odottaa innolla, odottaa jännityksellä
  • odottaa innollaanticipate, expect, or wait for
  • odottaa jännitykselläanticipate, expect, or wait for
  • odottaa mielenkiinnollaanticipate, expect, or wait for
French avoir hâte de, attendre avec impatience
  • avoir hâte deanticipate, expect, or wait for
  • attendre avec impatienceanticipate, expect, or wait for
  • espéreranticipate, expect, or wait for
German sich freuen auf
  • sich freuen aufanticipate, expect, or wait for
Greek προσβλέπω, ευελπιστώ
  • προσβλέπω (prosvlépo)anticipate, expect, or wait for
  • ευελπιστώ (evelpistó)anticipate, expect, or wait for
  • ανυπομονώ (anypomonó)anticipate, expect, or wait for
Hungarian alig vár, örömmel vár
  • alig váranticipate, expect, or wait for
  • örömmel váranticipate, expect, or wait for
Icelandic hlakka til
  • hlakka tilanticipate, expect, or wait for
Indonesian nantikan
  • nantikananticipate, expect, or wait for
Irish bheith ag súil le
  • bheith ag súil leanticipate, expect, or wait for
Italian non vedere l'ora
  • non vedere l'oraanticipate, expect, or wait for
Japanese 楽しみにする
  • 楽しみにする (tanoshimi ni suru)anticipate, expect, or wait for
Norwegian Bokmål glede seg, se frem til
  • glede seganticipate, expect, or wait for
  • se frem tilanticipate, expect, or wait for
Persian مشتاق بودن
  • مشتاق بودن (moštâq budan)anticipate, expect, or wait for
Polish nie móc się doczekać, wyczekiwać na
  • nie móc się doczekaćanticipate, expect, or wait for
  • wyczekiwać naanticipate, expect, or wait for
Portuguese ansiar por, estar ansioso para
  • ansiar poranticipate, expect, or wait for
  • estar ansioso paraanticipate, expect, or wait for
  • mal poder esperar poranticipate, expect, or wait for
  • mal poder esperar paraanticipate, expect, or wait for
  • não ver a hora deanticipate, expect, or wait for
Romanian aștepta cu nerăbdare, abia aștepta
  • aștepta cu nerăbdareanticipate, expect, or wait for
  • abia așteptaanticipate, expect, or wait for
Russian ждать с нетерпе́нием, не мочь дожда́ться
  • ждать с нетерпе́нием (ždatʹ s neterpénijem)anticipate, expect, or wait for
  • не мочь дожда́ться (ne močʹ doždátʹsja)anticipate, expect, or wait for
  • предвкуша́ть (predvkušátʹ)anticipate, expect, or wait for
Scottish Gaelic dèan fiughair ri
  • dèan fiughair rianticipate, expect, or wait for
Slovak tešiť sa
  • tešiť saanticipate, expect, or wait for
Spanish no ver la hora de, quedar a la espera de
  • no ver la hora deanticipate, expect, or wait for
  • quedar a la espera deanticipate, expect, or wait for
  • estar/sentirse entusiasmado/emocionado/ávido poranticipate, expect, or wait for
  • sentir/haber/tener entusiasmo/emoción/expectación/avidez poranticipate, expect, or wait for
Swedish se fram emot
  • se fram emotanticipate, expect, or wait for
Turkish iple çekmek, dört gözle beklemek
  • iple çekmekanticipate, expect, or wait for
  • dört gözle beklemekanticipate, expect, or wait for
Ukrainian не могти дочекатися
  • не могти дочекатися (ne mohty dočekatysja)anticipate, expect, or wait for
Welsh edrych ymlaen at
  • edrych ymlaen atanticipate, expect, or wait for
Cite this entry
APA

look forward to. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/look%20forward%20to

MLA

“look forward to.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/look%20forward%20to. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “look forward to,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/look%20forward%20to.

Source: look forward to on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.