peruse
Americanverb (used with object)
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to read through with thoroughness or care.
Make sure you peruse the document before signing.
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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.
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to read.
If romantic plots interest you, consider perusing her latest novel.
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to survey or examine in detail.
We had the opportunity to hear both sides and peruse the evidence.
verb
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to read or examine with care; study
-
to browse or read through in a leisurely way
Other Word Forms
- perusable adjective
- perusal noun
- peruser noun
- preperuse verb (used with object)
- quasi-perusable adjective
- reperuse verb (used with object)
- unperusable adjective
- unperused adjective
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
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, 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
The menu is extensive, so take a few minutes to peruse before ordering.
From Salon
It is increasingly becoming a social network, where users go to peruse work by multiple authors.
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
Young men and women mingled freely, perusing works of contemporary art and design objects while a band played live music in the background.
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.
