browse
Americanverb (used with object)
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browses,
present (3rd person singular)
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browsed,
past participle, past
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browsing
present participle
-
to eat, nibble at, or feed on (leaves, tender shoots, or other soft vegetation).
-
to graze; pasture on.
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to look through or glance at casually or randomly.
He's browsing the shelves for something to read.
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to access and view (website content) with a Web browser, usually without looking for something specific.
a secure way to browse the Web.
verb (used without object)
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browses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
browsed,
past participle, past
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browsing
present participle
-
to feed on or nibble at foliage, lichen, berries, etc.
-
to graze.
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to glance at random through a book, magazine, etc.
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to look leisurely at goods displayed for sale, as in a store.
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to access and view websites with a Web browser, as in
If you love to browse while on the road, you can easily take advantage of free Wi-Fi .
noun
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browses
plural
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tender shoots or twigs of shrubs and trees as food for cattle, deer, etc.
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an act or instance of browsing.
verb
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to look through (a book, articles for sale in a shop, etc) in a casual leisurely manner
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computing to search for and read hypertext, esp on the Internet
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(of deer, goats, etc) to feed upon (vegetation) by continual nibbling
noun
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the act or an instance of browsing
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the young twigs, shoots, leaves, etc, on which certain animals feed
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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browsesimple
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browsessimple
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have browsedperfect
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has browsedperfect
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am browsingprogressive
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are browsingprogressive
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is browsingprogressive
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have been browsingperfect progressive
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has been browsingperfect progressive
Past
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browsedsimple
-
had browsedperfect
-
was browsingprogressive
-
were browsingprogressive
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had been browsingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of browse
1400–50; late Middle English browsen, perhaps a verbal derivative of Anglo-French broz, plural of brot shoot, new growth, Old French brost < Old Low Franconian *brust bud, noun derivative of *brustjan; compare Old Saxon brustian to come into bud
Explanation
To browse is to look casually for whatever catches your eye, rather than searching for something specific. Window shopping and scanning the newspaper for interesting headlines are forms of browsing. You can browse in a store, a library, or browse the Internet (with — what else? — an Internet "browser"). When it comes to reading material, browse means the same as peruse. Back in the 16th century, though, this verb was used in reference to animals feeding on, or grazing on, the buds of trees.
Vocabulary lists containing browse
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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No Easy Answers: Our Digital World and "Gadgets and Games"
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From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“It’s killing browse time, which is what a high street is for,” Oliver said as she arranged some colorful tote bags on a rack outside her store.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
They will also be able to watch videos, browse the web, play AR games and record what they see through the glasses.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
They are essential for anyone who wants to secure their data, stream content freely and browse the internet without worrying about being tracked.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
Complex interfaces let users browse match offerings, make selections and proceed through checkout.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
As Morrow spoke, he walked over to one of Aech’s bookshelves and began to browse through some vintage role-playing game supplements.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
“I love an expensive grocery store,” says Samantha Pearlstein, a 26-year-old sales engineer, as she browses $85 flower arrangements and $23 salads.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
"I don't trust high-street sizing," one person tells me, as she browses one of London's popular shopping streets.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025
She browses estate sales and swap meets in search of hidden gems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2025
The justices pondered lots of possibilities: When a person thinks about taking a trip, or commits to doing it, or browses a hotel’s website, or takes out their credit card to book, for example.
From Slate ● Oct. 4, 2023
It browses there, among the weeds, just as its cousin, the land Snail, browses on your cabbages.
From On the Seashore by R. Cadwallader Smith
The woman browsed through old photos of her daughters, their old school projects and other files forgotten over time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Among them, the height to volume model was applied to heavily browsed willows with unusual growth forms, even though the model was not designed for such distorted shapes.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026
On a chilly Friday in March, shoppers browsed the now smaller Danbury store, assessing desks, beds and more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
In a Shanghai shopping centre, customers browsed racks of used winter coats, $2 trousers and household appliances -- pre-used items that would have been out of place in a major Chinese mall a decade ago.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
Now more than ever she could have used the Thunderhead’s AI guidance as she browsed through its data files, because the worldwide public camera system seemed designed to thwart her efforts.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
As a result, brands are optimizing their content to be discovered through different stages of AI browsing.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Others try to ignore him, browsing their phones, making calls or chatting among themselves.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
But as machine-learning tools gain stronger visual-arts capabilities and chatbots displace web browsing, media workers could face even more disruption.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
For the channel surfers: If you’re looking for a new TV show to watch, consider browsing Slate’s list of the 40 best stand-alone episodes of all time.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
“So, what may I help you find today, ma’am? We have murder mysteries, romance novels, how-to makeup books, how-to hair books,” she pauses, jerks out a smile, “rose gardening, home decorating—” “I’m just browsing, thanks.”
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
