I had a task on an English exam to match phrasal verbs with their definitions. I matched:
"look up a word" – "search"
"look for the clues" – "try to find something"
but according to my teacher, it should've been matched the other way around. I think the way I matched them is not wrong, especally because it's phrased that way in many online dictionaries. Not to mention that the definition of search is to try to find something so it makes even less sense.
My mark depends on this so I would like to know if my teacher is wrong about the answer and also what is the correct answer. Thanks.
Best Answer
There is a difference between look up and look for.
The phrasal verb look up means to find in some kind of authoritative reference, like a dictionary or encyclopedia.
The phrasal verb look for means to try to find something, but not necessarily in an authoritative reference.
The problem is that I don't see any significant difference in meaning between search and try to find, so I would have to say that both pairings are correct.