browser

American  

[brou-zer] / ˈbraʊ zər /

noun

• browsers
  plural

1. a person or thing that browses.

2. 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.

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browser British  

/ ˈbraʊzə /

noun

1. a person or animal that browses

2. computing a software package that enables a user to find and read hypertext files, esp on the Internet

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browser Scientific  

/ brou′zər /

1. A program that accesses and displays files and other data available on the Internet and other networks. Entering a website's URL in the address window of a browser will bring up that website in the browser's main window.

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browser Cultural  

1. See Web browser.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonbrowser
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• browsers
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

browser browsers

Cursor recently ran an experiment to evaluate the cost of building a web browser from scratch.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

It continues: “Don’t search for or use Robinhood phone numbers through an internet browser because they potentially are scams. Many phone support scams direct you to call a fake Robinhood customer service number.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

It alleged Google pressured phone makers using Android to pre-install its search engine and Google Chrome browser -- essentially shutting out rivals -- and ordered it to pay a 4.3-billion-euro fine.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

There are also browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge.

From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026

I end the live video and exhale slowly, closing the browser to see the smiling, winter-formal-ready faces on my desktop background.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

I wanted to resemble the relaxed browsers who paused over a melon because its scent had summoned them.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

The OpenAI bot, acting on its own, raises concerns among consumers because agents increasingly are being integrated into browsers, email and other apps.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Furthermore, many browsers make it easy to store and deploy payment credentials, eating into what had traditionally been a main selling point of PayPal’s service.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

It was acknowledged that Google's version of Android does not prevent device owners downloading alternative web browsers or using other search engines.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

As hugely important as Berners-Lee’s invention was, what really pop- ularized the Internet and the Web as tools of both connectivity and commerce was the creation of easy-to-install and easy-to-use commercial browsers.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman