look forward

3 synonyms and 3 antonyms for look forward, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Phrasal verb — To feel pleased and excited about something that is going to happen. It is almost always used as look forward to, followed by a noun or an -ing verb.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

anticipate

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

await eagerly can't wait for

Synonyms by Meaning

1. phrasal verb

To feel pleased and excited about something that is going to happen. It is almost always used as look forward to, followed by a noun or an -ing verb.

“I'm looking forward to the weekend.”

anticipate await eagerly can't wait for

Opposites

dread fear

2. phrasal verb

To think about or plan for the future rather than dwelling on the past.

“The club needs to stop looking back and start looking forward.”

Opposites

look back

How to use look forward

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

look forward to hearing from you really looking forward to it look forward to seeing you much looking forward

The to in look forward to is a preposition, so a verb after it must take -ing. I look forward to meeting you is correct; I look forward to meet you is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is it "look forward to hearing" or "look forward to hear"?

Look forward to hearing is correct. The to here is a preposition rather than part of an infinitive, so it must be followed by a noun or an -ing form, exactly as in look forward to the holiday.

What is the difference between "I look forward to" and "I'm looking forward to"?

They mean the same thing, but the simple form sounds more formal and is standard in business correspondence, while the continuous form sounds friendlier and more immediate. Choose the continuous form when writing to someone you know.

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Nearby words

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