Word.ws English Dictionary

not see for looking

not see for looking verb: to be unable to identify because one is trying too hard.

Verb

not see for looking

  1. To be unable to identify because one is trying too hard.
    • At the moment she can't see for looking and her eyes are looking only at yesterday.2011, Irini Savvides, Sky Legs, →ISBN
    • The answer to what I do next is probably the same: staring me right in the face and I can't see for looking.2013, Dorothy Koomson, The Flavours of Love: The Richard & Judy Bestselling Author, →ISBN

Origin of not see for looking

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. )

Questions about not see for looking

What does not see for looking mean?
Not see for looking means to be unable to identify because one is trying too hard.
What part of speech is not see for looking?
Not see for looking is a verb.

Words near not see for looking in the dictionary

  1. not quite
  2. not really
  3. not right in the head
  4. not saying much
  5. not see
  6. not see for looking
  7. not see someone for dust
  8. not see straight
  9. not so fast
  10. not so hot
  11. not so much

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: not see for looking (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: “not see for looking.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/not_see_for_looking. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.