look on

look on (third-person singular simple present looks on, present participle looking on, simple past and past participle looked on)

1. (idiomatic) To watch; to observe without participating.

   My performance seems somehow always to get worse when there are other people looking on.

2. (idiomatic) To think of something in a particular way.

   I look on him not as a boss, but as a friend.

3. (idiomatic, usually negative) To approve or to be accepting of something.

   We don't look kindly on people like you.

• look on as
• onlooker

• onlook