browser

American

[brou-zer] / ˈbraʊ zər /

noun

a person or thing that browses.
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.

browser British

/ ˈbraʊzə /

noun

a person or animal that browses
computing a software package that enables a user to find and read hypertext files, esp on the Internet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

browser Scientific

/ brou′zər /

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.

browser Cultural

See Web browser.

Other Word Forms

nonbrowser noun

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

“I’m constantly pricing out airfare, and the best deals typically don’t come from refreshing your browser 47 times.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

"Mythos Preview has already found thousands of high-severity vulnerabilities, including some in every major operating system and web browser," Anthropic claimed on 7 April.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

I figured they probably had an online stream of their programming that I could access through my web browser.

From Slate • Apr. 12, 2026

While you can migrate memories on mobile, a web browser is the better choice because you’ll need to copy big blocks of text.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Emily glanced at the forum message once more before closing the browser window.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023