Cool MateLook across the street vs Watch
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Look across the street
Top 3,000 (common)
Watch
Top 1,000 (very common)A1verb
Most common: Watch
| Look across the street | Watch | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //lʊk əˈkrɔːs ðə striːt//🇺🇸 //lʊk əˈkrɔs ðə strit// | 🇬🇧 /["/wɒtʃ/","/ˈwɒtʃɪz/","/wɒtʃt/","/ˈwɒtʃɪŋ/"]/🇺🇸 /["/wɑːtʃ/","/ˈwɑːtʃɪz/","/wɑːtʃt/","/ˈwɑːtʃɪŋ/"]/ |
| Meaning | To see something on the other side of the street. | To look at something for a period of time. |
| Example | He looked across the street and saw a dog waiting for its owner. | I love to watch movies on the weekends. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 3,000 (common) | Top 1,000 (very common) |
| CEFR level | - | A1 |
| Part of speech | verb | |
| Collocations | look across the street, look across the road, look across at someone | carefully, closely, attentively, could only, continue to, pause to, for, from, in, sit and watch, stand and watch, watch and wait |
| Antonyms | - | ignore, overlook, neglect |
| Common mistakes | Confused about using 'look across' without an object., Omitting 'the' in 'look across street'. | 'Watched' vs 'watching': confusing past and present forms., 'Watch' is not used with 'something': saying 'watch something' instead of just 'watch'., Using 'watch' for inanimate objects like books, instead of 'read'. |
| Usage notes | Use 'look across the street' when directing someone to observe something on the opposite side. It's commonly used in casual and formal contexts. | Used for looking at moving images or events. More formal contexts may use 'view' instead, while 'watch' is appropriate in casual conversations. Avoid using in highly formal writing. |
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Frequently asked questions: Look across the street vs Watch
What's the difference between Look across the street and Watch?
Look across the street: To see something on the other side of the street. Watch: To look at something for a period of time.
Which is more common: Look across the street and Watch?
Watch is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
Look across the street: He looked across the street and saw a dog waiting for its owner. Watch: I love to watch movies on the weekends.
Can I use Look across the street and Watch interchangeably?
Not always. Look across the street and Watch are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.