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
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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:
Families can visit, browse and take away items they need completely free of charge, without having to formally apply.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
“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 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
There are five tabs on the site—Popular, New, Local, Promoted, Random—and I browse through Local searches first, as usual, to make sure I don’t recognize anyone....No one; good.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
At a gleaming three-storey outlet of Reliance Trends in the town of Sangli in western India, Alka browses through a collection of Indian ethnic-wear kurtas in an array of vibrant colours.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026
“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
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
He does not eat grass, but browses on the limbs and branches of several kinds of trees.
From Three Boys in the Wild North Land by J. E. Laughlin
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
Rae said Murrell browsed through their stock and bought a pendant called the Mirrie Dancer Drongs.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
On Sunday afternoon, shoppers browsed for fishing poles and sifted through a wide array of camouflage hunting gear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
Anyone who has watched more than one Apple product announcement or browsed its website will see a remarkable coincidence: almost every screen appears to show the time as 9:41 am.
From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026
As Russell and Neil browsed around the store, I watched Ada Taylor, sitting all alone in Russell’s Jeep, staring at herself in the rearview mirror and having no idea that anyone could see her.
From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley
She rarely speaks to strangers while browsing, but she never feels like an outsider.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Companies collect vast amounts of data about consumers, including browsing history, location, device type, purchase patterns, and even how long a cursor hovers over a product.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
The second order, on post-quantum cryptography, addresses a looming vulnerability: the rise of quantum computers powerful enough to unravel the public-key cryptography underpinning secure web browsing and blockchain networks.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
CyberGhost’s global servers make streaming and browsing effortless, even for novice users.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
“I don’t have any money to buy anything, but I like browsing the snack stall and looking at the different fabrics for sale.”
From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed
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.
