browse
Americanverb (used with object)
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to eat, nibble at, or feed on (leaves, tender shoots, or other soft vegetation).
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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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to feed on or nibble at foliage, lichen, berries, etc.
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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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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
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had browsedperfect
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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.
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
Unlike Scanlon, Stewart doesn’t tour apartments for people, rather she provides a curated list of vintage apartments for people to browse on their own.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
If anyone is in doubt, he told them, just browse OpenAI’s careers page.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
We were allowed to browse for the first fifteen minutes.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
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.
