Synonyms

peruse

American

[puh-rooz] / pəˈruz /

verb (used with object)

to read through with thoroughness or care.

Make sure you peruse the document before signing.
to scan or browse: Visitors will be able to peruse artworks by young people across the state.

Sometimes I peruse the magazines near the cash register while waiting to check out.
Visitors will be able to peruse artworks by young people across the state.
to read.

If romantic plots interest you, consider perusing her latest novel.
to survey or examine in detail.

We had the opportunity to hear both sides and peruse the evidence.

peruse British

/ pəˈruːz /

verb

to read or examine with care; study
to browse or read through in a leisurely way

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of peruse

First recorded in 1470–80 in the sense “use up, go through”; first recorded in 1525–35 for current senses; per- + use

Explanation

Traditionally, peruse has meant to read or examine something carefully. But informally, it can have the opposite meaning, to read something casually and quickly. To understand the two meanings, think about the way people like to talk about doing things thoroughly, even when they aren't. If you are visiting a library or a bookstore, you might find yourself perusing the shelves. Synonyms are browse and skim. Peruse is from Middle English perusen "to use up," from the Latin prefix per- "thoroughly" plus Middle English usen "to use."

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Vocabulary lists containing peruse

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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.

See Examples For:

peruse peruses perused perusing

But the only architectural feats eliciting "oohs" and "aahs" this autumn morning are of the sponge variety, as enthusiasts peruse the gravity-defying gateaux from the city's gourmands.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026

If I’m traveling and visiting family, I’ll peruse their library and borrow something that seems interesting.

From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2026

I, on the other hand, can be nitpicky and hypercritical when I peruse the copy on the back of a cereal box.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026

The menu is extensive, so take a few minutes to peruse before ordering.

From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026

I don’t know why, but when Theo had described the pension office to me I’d pictured it like a library, a place we could walk around and peruse books and papers.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

My wife peruses L.A. condo listings frequently and the two of us have periodically gone with a Los Angeles real-estate agent to see new listings.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 30, 2025

The 17-year-old from Manchester enjoys deciphering the messages behind plates - phrases like YOU 105T are popular - and peruses Facebook groups where different combinations are shared.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2025

Anyone who peruses Reddit regularly can’t miss the bots: As one user commented recently, “Pay attention to a lot of the new posts—they all start off the same. ‘

From Slate ● Dec. 27, 2024

Her teenage son peruses tomes on graffiti art and street photography.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2023

The general picks up a page from the folder and peruses it.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

It’s meant to be picked up, perused and admired.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

He says he perused various theatre scripts and Second Best caught his eye.

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2025

He showered me with scarves and necklaces as we perused the trendy Melrose Avenue shops.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2025

“The courts have perused hundreds of pages of documents to arrive at this conclusion. For Parliament simply to say ‘the facts are different’ would be constitutionally really extraordinary,” Sumption told the BBC.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2023

Quentin rose from the bed, stretching and yawning, and again perused my work.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

When I die, I will not feel like the time spent perusing Amazon search results was important to my story.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

Les Bleus, as the team is known, will be perusing the breakfast buffet and padding around the plush carpets of Boston’s Four Seasons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

With no formal engineering background, Richardson began collecting information online, perusing old manuals, learning through trial and error.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

One woman perusing the flowers outside the Bondi Pavilion on Sunday admits she is too scared to do that.

From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2025

He turned away from me, and began perusing the volumes upon the shelf, selecting some, drawing them out, and laying them in the crook of his arm.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

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