browser
Americannoun
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a person or thing that browses.
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Digital Technology. a software program that allows the user to find and read encoded documents in a form suitable for display, especially such a program for use on the internet.
You may need to pause internet security features and refresh the page in your web browser to play the embedded videos.
noun
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a person or animal that browses
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computing a software package that enables a user to find and read hypertext files, esp on the Internet
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of browser
browse ( def. ) + -er 1 ( def. ); browser def. 1 was first recorded in 1680–90, and browser def. 2 in 1980–85
Explanation
A browser is a looker: either a program that lets you surf the Internet or a person in a store who just looks around without buying. This is a word that has to do with looking around, otherwise known as browsing. You probably use web browsers, which allow you to see websites on a computer. But you could also be a browser if you go to a store and just look around. Being a browser is a good way to kill time, but as soon as you make a purchase, you've gone from being a browser to being a customer.
Vocabulary lists containing browser
Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
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Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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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.
It makes sense to compare the debuts of the pioneering web browser and the AI agent, because the rallies that followed were driven by a similar need — the need for more speed.
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
And in March of this year, Mozilla, operator of the Firefox web browser, turned its Firefox logo into a fully-fledged mascot called Kit.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
The Justice Department, which brought the case against Google in 2020, had proposed forcing the sale of its Chrome browser, among other things.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Those are also activities humans would typically open a web browser to do, but AI agents can accomplish them faster and at a much greater scale, Agrawal said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
But now, right at the top of the browser, was exactly what Candice and Brandon had been looking for.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
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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.