Difference between "look at" and "look to"

Question

I want to know when to use "look at" and when to use "look to".

Here's an example.

"We looked to the early church and to the Scriptures and to the poor to find it."

"The truth is that when people look at us like we are sacrificial servants, I have to laugh."

Even with these examples, many times I'm not sure whether to use "look to" or "look at".

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Preposition usage is hard to learn, and hard to teach.

However, as a very general guideline, 'look at' is by far the commonest expression.

Clive

Mr Wordy · Answer

A few random things that come to mind...

If you simply mean "direct one's eyes towards something in order to view it" then "look at" is the usual form (e.g. "Look at that man over there"). "look at" can also be used more figuratively to mean "assess", "consider", "investigate", "inspect" etc. ("Let's look at that possibility", "We need to look at what he's been up to").

"look to" often has the sense of seeking knowledge, as in your first example. It can also be used when talking about looking in a general direction ("look to the left", "look to the skies"). In a different sense, it can mean "plan/intend to" ("We're looking to move house").

CalifJim · Answer

look to implies looking for guidance from.
look at implies only watching (literally, with your eyes).

CJ

Difference between "look at" and "look to"

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