look after

Short definition: The phrase look after means to take care of someone or something, providing attention, protection, and responsibility to ensure their safety, health, or well-being.

Looking for a clear and natural explanation of the phrasal verb look after? This is a very common expression in everyday English and it usually refers to taking care of someone or something. People often use it when talking about responsibility, protection, or helping someone who needs support. You might hear it when discussing children, pets, family members, or even objects that require maintenance. Because it relates to care and responsibility, the meaning often suggests attention, protection, and reliability. Below are detailed meanings with realistic examples so you can clearly understand how look after works in daily English.

look after v. /ˌlʊk ˈæftər/

Forms: look after, looks after, looked after, looking after
Related: care v., protect v., supervise v., manage v.
Syllable: look-af-ter

(Verb) To take care of someone who needs attention or support.
To look after most commonly means taking care of someone who needs attention, protection, or help, such as a child, elderly person, or someone who is ill.

She stayed home to look after her younger brother while their parents were away.

A nurse was hired to look after the patient during recovery.

He promised to look after his grandmother and make sure she had everything she needed.

Synonyms: take care of, care for, watch over, protect, supervise, tend to, guard, support, nurture, attend to, look after responsibly, keep safe
Antonyms: neglect, ignore, abandon, mistreat, disregard, leave alone, overlook needs, mistreat responsibility, fail to care, desert, leave unprotected, forget about
(Verb) To manage or be responsible for something.
In another sense, look after can mean being responsible for managing something, such as property, tasks, or responsibilities.

He was asked to look after the office while the manager was away.

Someone needs to look after the finances carefully.

She agreed to look after the house while her friend was traveling abroad.

Synonyms: manage, handle, oversee, supervise, maintain, take responsibility for, administer, control, organize, monitor, attend to duties, run operations
Antonyms: neglect duty, abandon responsibility, mismanage, ignore tasks, overlook work, lose control, mishandle, avoid responsibility, fail to supervise, disregard duties, leave unmanaged, abandon oversight

Conversation Using the Phrasal Verb Look after

Discussing family responsibilities, Liam and Chloe talk about caregiving. This conversation highlights look after, which means to take care of someone or something by making sure they are healthy, safe, or in good condition.

Liam: My sister asked me to look after her two dogs while she’s away on a business trip to Japan for the next ten days.

Chloe: That’s nice of you; I’m sure they will be happy to have someone they know and trust to look after them while she’s gone.

Liam: I read that it’s very important for children to learn how to look after their own belongings from a very young and early age.

Chloe: I noticed that you always look after your car so well; it still looks like it’s brand new even after five years of driving it.

Liam: If we don't look after our environment now, future generations will have a very difficult time dealing with the pollution we leave behind.

Chloe: I saw a nurse look after an elderly patient with such kindness and patience that it really warmed my heart to watch them.

Liam: It’s a big responsibility to look after a historical building because you have to follow very strict rules about repairs and preservation.

Chloe: I agree; I’m going to look after my health by eating more vegetables and getting at least eight hours of sleep every single night.

Liam: I’m glad you could look after the garden while I was sick; the plants look very healthy and the flowers are starting to bloom.

Chloe: No problem; once you are strong enough to look after it yourself again, I’ll show you exactly what I did to keep the soil moist.

Phrases Containing the Phrasal Verb Look After

The phrases below show how the phrasal verb look after is used to talk about taking care of people, animals, or responsibilities.

Look after a child

To take care of a young person.

She offered to look after the child while the parents attended an important meeting.

Look after your health

To take care of your body.

You should look after your health by exercising regularly and eating balanced meals.

Look after a pet

To care for an animal.

He asked his neighbor to look after his pet while he was on vacation.

Look after elderly parents

To care for older family members.

Many adults look after elderly parents as a way of giving back for years of support.

Look after the house

To take care of a home.

They hired someone to look after the house while they were traveling abroad.

Look after your belongings

To protect personal items.

Please look after your belongings carefully in crowded areas.

Look after guests

To care for visitors.

The staff were trained to look after guests and ensure their comfort.

Look after responsibilities

To manage duties.

She learned to look after responsibilities independently after moving out.

Look after the team

To care for group members.

A good leader will always look after the team’s well-being.

Look after your future

To plan responsibly.

Saving money now will help you look after your future financial stability.

Look after younger siblings

To care for brothers or sisters.

He often looks after his younger siblings when his parents are busy.

Look after the environment

To protect nature.

We all share the responsibility to look after the environment for future generations.

Look after a friend

To care for someone in need.

She stayed overnight to look after a friend who was feeling unwell.

Look after company property

To care for work assets.

Employees are expected to look after company property responsibly.

Look after your finances

To manage money carefully.

Learning how to budget is essential to look after your finances effectively.

Look after a patient

To care for someone who is ill.

Nurses work hard to look after patients with professionalism and compassion.

Look after your mental health

To protect emotional well-being.

It’s important to look after your mental health by taking breaks and seeking support when needed.

Look after the children

To supervise young people.

The teacher promised to look after the children during the field trip.

Look after a garden

To maintain plants.

She loves to look after her garden and spend quiet mornings watering the flowers.

Look after your career

To manage professional growth.

You need to look after your career by continuously improving your skills and building strong networks.

Words Rhyme with look after

book after

cook after

hook after

took after

shake after

broke after

stroke after

spoke after

crook after

brook after

after

laughter

rafter

drafter

crafter

grafter

wafter

hereafter

thereafter

master

faster

plaster

pastor

disaster

blaster

caster

raster

alabaster

broadcaster

telecaster

POS: Verb Phrase