A particular verb phrase has puzzled me for a few days. What is the precise meaning of:
To look out over something
I could provide example sentences, but based on my previous experiences, I would prefer not to so as to avoid misleading you.
Learn English – What does “look out over something” mean
meaningphrasal-verbs
Best Answer
Not every verb+preposition collocation is an idiom. This one is not—its meaning is literal and 'compositional', derivable from the meanings of the individual parts:
look is the ordinary intransitive verb, to cast your sight in a particular direction.
out is the ordinary intransitive preposition, as in go out or throw out. Its basic sense is approximately "beyond the boundary within which one is enclosed", but it need not imply a literal enclosure; here it it indicates that you are looking beyond your immediate viewpoint.
over is the ordinary transitive preposition. It acts as the head of a preposition phrase designating the 'path' traversed by your sight—for instance, over the countryside beneath, over the crowd.
Out and over together imply that you are looking from an elevated position which allows your sight to travel a fair distance above the terrain or features which surround you.