browse

[brouz]

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.

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

/ 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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of browse¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of browse¹

C15: from French broust, brost (modern French brout ) bud, of Germanic origin; compare Old Saxon brustian to bud

Example Sentences

Copeland said her mother might get a homemade card, and she added that she is browsing secondhand shops and websites in search of other budget gifts.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A VPN masks your activity, helping maintain your speed while keeping your browsing habits private.

Read more on Salon

"A lot of people like browsing through second hand furniture and often find stuff which is as good as new for a quarter of the price."

Read more on BBC

Hyundai, which has been selling cars on Amazon since December, said nearly all the people browsing the company’s vehicles on the e-commerce website were new to the brand.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Goodwill is even targeting donors and shoppers through TikTok, where it posts videos of influencers browsing racks of jeans or boxing up donations.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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