not see for looking

verb

To be unable to identify because one is trying too hard.

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Meanings

verb
  1. To be unable to identify because one is trying too hard.

    At the moment she can't see for looking and her eyes are looking only at yesterday.

    2011, Irini Savvides, Sky Legs, →ISBN
    1 more example

    The answer to what I do next is probably the same: staring me right in the face and I can't see for looking.

    2013, Dorothy Koomson, The Flavours of Love: The Richard & Judy Bestselling Author, →ISBN

Origin

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. )

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

not see for looking. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20see%20for%20looking

MLA

“not see for looking.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20see%20for%20looking. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “not see for looking,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20see%20for%20looking.

Source: not see for looking on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.