lookouts

Noun

lookout (plural lookouts)

1. A vantage point with a view of the surrounding area.
   • Gulangyu island has a spectacular crows-nest lookout reached by winding stone staircases. From so high, the Nationalist islands look like lumps of cookie batter dropped onto the smooth harbor, with picturesque sailing junks not far away.1980 April 9 [1980 April 8], Jay Mathews, “Nationalist Islands Sound Siren Call to Mainland Chinese”, in The Washington Post, sourced from XIAMEN (Amoy), China, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the...
2. A session of watching for an approaching enemy, police, etc.
   • We kept a lookout all night, but nobody came.
3. A person on watch for approaching enemy, police, danger, etc.
   • The raid failed when the lookout noticed the enemy group.

   Synonyms:

   lookout man, watchout

4. A subject for observation; a prospect or view.
   • Looking, seeing: search or searching; Looking-for (B.), expectation; Lookout, a careful watching for: an elevated place from which to observe: one engaged in watching. And, you know, she OUGHT to keep enough to pay for her season-ticket; but no, she comes to me about that, and I have to find the...
   • "It's a poor lookout," said Mrs. Morel bitterly.1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter 6, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC
5. One's perspective, outlook; hence, one's responsibility. (used with a possessive pronoun or a noun in a possessive form).
   • Every person's interest is his own lookout.
6. An observation window.
   • Twenty-one of these vehicles were later converted into bogie brake vans for freight service. [...] The extreme width over the side lookouts is 9 ft.1941 February, Railway Magazine, page 75, untitled paragraph

See all 8 meanings of lookout