browse

American  

[brouz] / braʊz /

verb (used with object)

browsed, browsing

1. to eat, nibble at, or feed on (leaves, tender shoots, or other soft vegetation).

2. to graze; pasture on.

3. to look through or glance at casually or randomly.

   He's browsing the shelves for something to read.

   Synonyms:

   check, peruse, examine, skim, scan

4. to access and view (website content) with a Web browser, usually without looking for something specific.

   a secure way to browse the Web.

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verb (used without object)

browsed, browsing

1. to feed on or nibble at foliage, lichen, berries, etc.

2. to graze.

3. to glance at random through a book, magazine, etc.

4. to look leisurely at goods displayed for sale, as in a store.

5. 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

1. tender shoots or twigs of shrubs and trees as food for cattle, deer, etc.

2. an act or instance of browsing.

browse British  

/ braʊz /

verb

1. to look through (a book, articles for sale in a shop, etc) in a casual leisurely manner

2. computing to search for and read hypertext, esp on the Internet

3. (of deer, goats, etc) to feed upon (vegetation) by continual nibbling

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noun

1. the act or an instance of browsing

2. the young twigs, shoots, leaves, etc, on which certain animals feed

Other Word Forms

• browser noun
• nonbrowsing adjective
• overbrowse verb (used with object)
• unbrowsing adjective

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.

Example Sentences

"We were very happy to see a special local visitor stop by our terminal gift shop to browse the toy aisle and see if it could find some new friends."

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

This past week, the 43-year-old high-school teacher visited one of Beijing’s biggest jewelry markets to browse gold bracelets, necklaces and rings ahead of the Lunar New Year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

On a gray November Sunday, a handful of female customers braved a rainstorm to browse the racks at Detoure, which were well-stocked with clothes from Abercrombie & Fitch, Princess Polly and Revolve.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

In today's smartphones, multiple chips repeatedly convert radio waves into SAWs and back again whenever users send messages, make calls, or browse the internet.

From Science Daily • Jan. 17, 2026

Regina accompanied Bobby to the club, but as soon as he began to play she left to browse at the nearby Strand Bookstore, whose shelves contained millions of used books.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• flip through
• leaf through
• peruse
• read
• scan
• skim