look out for number one
look out for number one verb: to act in one's own interests; to act in a manner advantageous primarily to oneself.
Verb (1)
look out for number one (third-person singular simple present looks out for number one, present participle looking out for number one, simple past and past participle looked out for number one)
- To act in one's own interests; to act in a manner advantageous primarily to oneself.
- S.—Ah—get out. Look out for number one—that's my doctrine; and let others do the same;—and if they don't, why, the flats must be contented with being gulled—that's all. It is n't my look-out, if a man does n't know enough, or does n't think enough, or is n't careful enough: if I can shave him a...1833, George Washington Light, “Sketches of Character: A Schemer”, in The Essayist: A Young Men's Magazine, volume 1, G.W. Light & Company, page 318
- The idea is but too prevalent in almost every community, that a man has discharged his duties as a citizen, well enough, if he minds his own business and does not meddle with the affairs of his neighbours. "Look out for Number One," is a great fundamental maxim, which is in every body's mouth, and...1846, “Moral Responsibilities”, in The British Friend: A Monthly Journal Chiefly Devoted to the Interests of the Society of Friends, volume 4, number 8, page 204
Verb (2) capitalized: look out for Number One
look out for Number One (third-person singular simple present looks out for Number One, present participle looking out for Number One, simple past and past participle looked out for Number One)
- Alternative form of look out for number one.
Examples of look out for number one in a sentence
- "Look out for Number One," is a great fundamental maxim, which is in every body's mouth, and which every body takes credit to himself for acting upon.1846, “Moral Responsibilities”, in The British Friend: A Monthly Journal Chiefly Devoted to the Interests of the Society of Friends, volume...
- Martin, and I must look out for number one.1870, Horatio Alger, chapter 3, in Rufus and Rose:
Forms of look out for number one
| third-person singular present | looks out for number one |
|---|---|
| present participle | looking out for number one |
| past participle | looked out for number one |
| past | looked out for number one |
| alternative form | look for number one |
| alternative form | look out for Number One |
| third-person singular present | looks out for Number One |
| present participle | looking out for Number One |
| past participle | looked out for Number One |
| past | looked out for Number One |
Origin of look out for number one
From look out for + number one (“oneself”). Attested since the 1830s at the latest.
Questions about look out for number one
- What does look out for number one mean?
- Look out for number one means to act in one's own interests; to act in a manner advantageous primarily to oneself.
- How do you use look out for number one in a sentence?
- "Look out for Number One," is a great fundamental maxim, which is in every body's mouth, and which every body takes credit to himself for acting upon.
- What part of speech is look out for number one?
- Look out for number one is a verb.
- What is the past tense of look out for number one?
- The past tense of look out for number one is looked out for number one.
Words near look out for number one in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: look out for number one (page history and authors); look out for Number One (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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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-look out for number one.ogg.
Cite this entry: “look out for number one.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/look_out_for_number_one. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.