Here are different ways for a character to look (at something), culled from various places:
look:
admire, analyze, appraise, assay, beam, behold, beware, bore, canvas, check over, confront, consider, contemplate, descry, diagnose, discern, distinguish, espy, examine, eye, eyeball, face, follow, gape, gawk, gawk, gawp, gaze, glance, glare, glimpse, gloat, glower, goggle, heed, inspect, investigate, judge, leer, loom, make out, mark, mind, note, notice, observe, ogle, once-over, peek, peep, peer, penetrate, perceive, peruse, pierce, poke, poll, ponder, probe, prospect, pry, quiz, rake, regard, remark, review, rubber-neck, run down, scan, scout, screen, scrutinize, scry, search, see, sense, sift, size up, skim, spectate, spot, spy, squint, stare, study, survey, suss out, take stock, tend, trace, twig, verify, view, watch, weigh, witness
Any others?