peruse

[puh-rooz]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR peruse ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), pe·rused, pe·rus·ing.

to read through with thoroughness or care: to peruse a report.

to scan or browse: The shoppers perused the magazines near the cash register while waiting to check out.

to read.

to survey or examine in detail.

Origin of peruse

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

Related formspe·rus·a·ble, adjectivepe·rus·er, nounpre·pe·ruse, verb (used with object), pre·pe·rused, pre·pe·rus·ing.qua·si-pe·rus·a·ble, adjectivere·pe·ruse, verb (used with object), re·pe·rused, re·pe·rus·ing.un·pe·rus·a·ble, adjectiveun·pe·rused, adjective

Can be confusedperuse pursue

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for peruse

Contemporary Examples of peruse

Recipients in a cryobank can peruse donor files and see hair color, eye color, race, height, IQ, and so on.
Have Sperm, Will Travel: The ‘Natural Inseminators’ Helping Women Avoid the Sperm Bank
Elizabeth Picciuto
November 29, 2014
Copies of a 53-page strategic plan are on the coffee table in her office for visitors to peruse.
Obama’s Hidden Power Player
Eleanor Clift
May 12, 2014
Then I peruse my RSS feeds for Red Sox stories by my competitors.
Opening Day 2013: How to Write About Baseball in the Big Leagues
Noah Charney
March 31, 2013
In the meantime, feel free to peruse the report, which can be read below.
This is the GOP's Path Forward?
Justin Green
March 18, 2013
On one of my last days as a student, I remember taking a break to peruse the university bookstore.
Rebecca Sealfon: The Year I Won the Scripps National Spelling Bee
Rebecca Sealfon
May 31, 2012

Historical Examples of peruse

Let no man thinke this to be strange, but peruse and consider the reason.
A New Orchard And Garden
William Lawson
He took it hastily, and drew nigh to the lantern to peruse it.
Maurice Tiernay Soldier of Fortune
Charles James Lever
Sir Arthur put on his spectacles leisurely, and began to peruse it.
Tony Butler
Charles James Lever
With the rapidity of lightning he seemed to peruse the lines.
Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II)
Charles James Lever
With a feeling of dread for which I could not account, I hastened to peruse it.
Frank Fairlegh
Frank E. Smedley

British Dictionary definitions for peruse

peruse

verb (tr)

to read or examine with care; study

to browse or read through in a leisurely way

Derived Formsperusal, nounperuser, noun

Word Origin for peruse

C15 (meaning: to use up): from per- (intensive) + use

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

Word Origin and History for peruse

late 15c., "use up, wear out, go through," from Middle English per- "completely" (see per) + use (v.). Meaning "read carefully" is first recorded 1530s, but this could be a separate formation. Meaning "read casually" is from 19c. Related: Perused; perusing.