Watch vs Look
Look and watch are used as synonyms in English language when there is, in fact, a difference between the two words. We can also say that look and watch are two words that are often confused when it comes to their meanings and connotations. At the outset, both the words are used primarily as verbs. The verb watch is used in the sense of ‘observe’, whereas the verb look is used in the sense of ‘gaze’ or ‘stare’. This is the main difference between the two words.
What does Watch mean?
The verb watch is used in the sense of observe. Observe the two sentences given below.
Francis watches his brother do the work.
Angela watches her sister do the homework.
In both the sentences, you can see that the verb watch is used in the sense of ‘observe.’ Hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘Francis observes his brother do the work’, and the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘Angela observes her sister do the homework’. The past participle form of the verb ‘watch’ is ‘watched’. It is interesting to note that the verb watch has its abstract noun form in the word ‘watching’.
The verb watch is sometimes used in hyphenated words such as bird-watcher, watch-dog and the like. At times, the word watch is used to indicate a thing that denotes time as in the sentence ‘Francis looked at his watch’. In this sentence, you can find that the word watch denotes an object that indicates time.
What does Look mean?
The verb look is used in the sense of gaze or stare. Observe the two sentences,
She looked at him and said.
Lucy looks at her son with affection.
In both the sentences, you can find that the verb look is used in the sense of ‘gaze’ or ‘stare.’ Hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘she gazed at him and said’, and the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘Lucy gazes at her son with affection’. This is an important difference between the two words, watch and look.
It is interesting to note that the verb look is sometimes used in the sense of ‘appear’ as in the sentences,
She looks very beautiful.
Angela looks gorgeous in her new dress.
In both the sentences, you can see that the verb look is used in the sense of ‘appear.’ Hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘she appears very beautiful’, and the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘Angela appears gorgeous in her new dress’. This is another important difference between the two words, namely, watch and look.
In the grammatical aspect, the past participle form of the verb look is ‘looked.’ Also, the verb look does not have an abstract form. It has a noun form, of course, in the word ‘looker’. On the other hand, the verb look is also used sometimes as a noun as in the sentences given below.
Her looks were beautiful.
His looks were deceptive.
In both the sentences, the word look is used as a noun. It is a very important observation to make when it comes to the usage of the word look.
What is the difference between Watch and Look?
• The verb watch is used in the sense of ‘observe’, whereas the verb look is used in the sense of ‘gaze’ or ‘stare’.
• The verb look is sometimes used in the sense of ‘appear.’
• The past participle form of the verb look is ‘looked’, and the past participle form of the verb watch is ‘watched’.
• The verb watch has its abstract noun form in the word ‘watching’. Look does not have an abstract noun form.
• Look is sometimes used as a noun in sentences.
• The verb watch is sometimes used in hyphenated words such as bird-watcher, watch-dog and the like.
These are the important differences between watch and look.