look up to

verb

To show respect or admiration for (someone); to see (someone) as a role model.

“A boy should look up to his father.”

Similar
respectidolizeesteemhonorlay store byprizehallowput store by
Opposite
look down on
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Meanings

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

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

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo show respect or admiration for (someone); to see (someone) as a role model.

    A boy should look up to his father.

    Synonyms: respect, idolize, esteem, honor, idolize, lay store by, prize, hallow · Antonyms: look down on

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo show respect or admiration for (someone); to see (someone) as a role model.

Similar
respectidolizeesteemhonoridolizelay store byprizehallowput store byput store inrateregardrespectrevereset store byvaluevenerateworthy
Opposite
look down on

More synonyms by meaning

verbfeel admiration for

Similar
admire
Broader
respectesteemvalue
Also see
admireesteemprizerateregardrespectrevereset store byvaluevenerate

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Chinese 崇拜, 钦佩
  • 崇拜 (chóngbài)To show respect for
  • 钦佩 (qīnpèi)To show respect for
  • 敬仰 (jìngyǎng)To show respect for
  • 仰慕 (yǎngmù)To show respect for
Czech vzhlížet k (e)
  • vzhlížet k (e)To show respect for
Finnish ihailla, kunnioittaa
  • ihaillaTo show respect for
  • kunnioittaaTo show respect for
French respecter
  • respecterTo show respect for
German aufblicken zu, aufschauen zu
  • aufblicken zuTo show respect for
  • aufschauen zuTo show respect for
  • achtenTo show respect for
Hungarian felnéz
  • felnézTo show respect for
Japanese 見上げる, 仰ぐ
  • 見上げる (miageru)To show respect for
  • 仰ぐ (aogu)To show respect for
  • 重んじる (omonjiru)To show respect for
  • 重視する (jūshi suru)To show respect for
  • 尊敬する (sonkei suru)To show respect for
  • 尊重する (sonchō suru)To show respect for
Norwegian se opp til
  • se opp tilTo show respect for
Polish podziwiać
  • podziwiaćTo show respect for
Portuguese admirar, respeitar
  • admirarTo show respect for
  • respeitarTo show respect for
Russian равняться на, брать пример с
  • равняться на (ravnjatʹsja na)To see as a role model
  • брать пример с (bratʹ primer s)To see as a role model
Spanish respetar
  • respetarTo show respect for
Swedish se upp till
  • se upp tillTo show respect for
Turkish hayranlık duymak, örnek almak
  • hayranlık duymakTo show respect for
  • örnek almakTo show respect for
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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