From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlook on phrasal verb1 WATCHto watch something happening, without being involved in it or trying to stop it → onlooker Only one man tried to help us, the rest just looked on in silence.2 look on somebody/something (also look upon somebody/something)THINK/HAVE THE OPINION THAT to consider someone or something in a particular way, or as a particular thinglook on somebody/something as I look on him as a good friend.look on somebody/something with Strangers to the village are looked upon with a mixture of fear and suspicion. → look→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
look on• Mr Parsons began to cough again, while his wife looked on helplessly.• Sarah set off after the man, while her friends looked on in amazement.• The women looked on, nodding and smiling.look as• The General looks on as a cadet is singled out to deliver his orders to others from his platoon.• It was looked on as a very serious offence.• You've got to remember that at the time, deregulation was looked on as an open cash-register.• Residual scenes from dreadful other memories play like lice inside veins I hardly dare look on as mine.• It was looked on as not advisable to deal with it under the Liverpool Corporation Act.• Clinton looked on as retired Army Gen.• Spectators looked on as the animals writhed desperately.• I was alone; even Liza looked on as the snowballs rained down. 