look away — to turn one's eyes or gaze in a different direction, often to avoid seeing something uncomfortable, embarrassing, or shocking
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to turn one's eyes or gaze in a different direction, often to avoid seeing something uncomfortable, embarrassing, or shocking
Pronunciation (IPA): /lʊk əˈweɪ/
Example Sentences
- The little boy looked away guiltily when his mom asked who ate the last cookie.
- I had to look away during the scary part of the movie.
- She looked away, pretending not to notice her ex walking by.
look away
VERB[/lʊk əˈweɪ/]
to turn one's eyes or gaze in a different direction, often to avoid seeing something uncomfortable, embarrassing, or shocking
She had to look away when the doctor pulled out the huge needle.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The phrasal verb 'look away' combines two Old English words: 'locian' (to see, to look) and 'aweg' (away, departing). Together they form a phrasal verb meaning to direct one's gaze away from something, literally to look in a different direction.
Breakdown
look (Old English 'locian': to see, observe) + away (Old English 'aweg': away, departing from). The combination creates the sense of redirecting one's visual attention away from a focal point.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The little boy looked away guiltily when his mom asked who ate the last cookie.”
“I had to look away during the scary part of the movie.”
“She looked away, pretending not to notice her ex walking by.”
“Please don't look away from me when I'm talking to you.”
“The crowd couldn't look away from the bizarre street performance.”
📚Related Words
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