Word.ws English Dictionary

be on the lookout

be on the lookout noun: BOLO.

Noun (1)

be on the lookout (plural be on the lookouts)

  1. BOLO.
    • Hoadley issued a "be on the lookout" ("BOLO"), describing the person as a tall, thin, black male, wearing light colored clothing and traveling on foot.1988, Arrest Law Bulletin, page 106
    • Examples of the types of information disseminated at roll call include known warrants, “be on the lookouts” or BOLOs, runaways, and administrative requests and communications.2014, Kären M. Hess, Christine Hess Orthmann, Henry Lim Cho, Introduction to Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, page 131

Verb

be on the lookout (third-person singular simple present is on the lookout, present participle being on the lookout, simple past was on the lookout, past participle been on the lookout)

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see be, on the lookout.
    • The wanted announcement and the be on the lookout for Salerno Bondi, (BOLO) was aired on radio and television, and all points bulletins were put out for police on patrol to be on the lookout for Salerno.2015, Noel T. Skippings, Birds of Terror

Noun (2) capitalized: Be On The Lookout

Be On The Lookout

  1. (alternative) Alternative form of be on the lookout.
    • A Be On The Lookout (BOLO) was issued and all members of law enforcement were actively looking for him.2013, Wiliam Marion, Ignite, page 151

Noun (3) capitalized: Be On the Lookout

Be On the Lookout

  1. (alternative) Alternative form of be on the lookout.
    • The sheriff had called off the search for the two—a manhunt was ungodly expensive—but he'd still issued a Be On the Lookout for them.2007, Angela Knight, Jane's Warlord
    • The BOLO, she thought: a “Be On the Lookout” for Simon Childs was undoubtedly being sent out to every law enforcement agency in the United States.2008, Jonathan Nasaw, Fear Itself

Noun (4) capitalized: Be on the Lookout

Be on the Lookout

  1. (alternative) Alternative form of be on the lookout.
    • A Be on the Lookout has been broadcasted for his wife and her vehicle, a white colored jeep.2012, T. J. Gonzales, No Pattern
    • So Hansen has released a Be on the Lookout For and this babe can't wait to drop the dime.2012, Don Winslow, California Fire and Life, page 297

Forms of be on the lookout

Noun
pluralbe on the lookouts
alternative formbe-on-the-lookout
alternative formBe On the Lookout
alternative formBe on the Lookout
alternative formBe On The Lookout
alternative formBe On the Look Out
Verb
third-person singular presentis on the lookout
present participlebeing on the lookout
pastwas on the lookout
past participlebeen on the lookout

Questions about be on the lookout

What does be on the lookout mean?
Be on the lookout means BOLO.
What part of speech is be on the lookout?
Be on the lookout can be a noun or a verb.
What is the plural of be on the lookout?
The plural of be on the lookout is be on the lookouts.

Words near be on the lookout in the dictionary

  1. be on one's bullshit
  2. be on one's merry way
  3. be on someone's dick
  4. be on someone's nuts
  5. Be On the Look Out
  6. be on the lookout
  7. be on the lookouts
  8. be on to
  9. be one thing
  10. be one's own man
  11. be one's own worst enemy

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: be on the lookout (page history and authors); Be On The Lookout (page history and authors); Be On the Lookout (page history and authors); Be on the Lookout (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “be on the lookout.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/be_on_the_lookout. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.