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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Sitting in the waiting room, mentally preparing for an MRI, Maxine opens a browser and searches, “BREAST CANCER.”
From Salon • Jun. 29, 2026
Google and Apple are already closely tied, with Google paying out tens of billions of dollars every year to be the default search engine on the iPhone's Safari web browser.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
You might think a honey bee foraging in your garden and a browser window running ChatGPT have nothing in common.
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026
I was curious if you were doing this video call from the app or your browser.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
He opened a browser and typed in the name of the city.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
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.
