peruse

[ puh-rooz ]

/ pəˈruz /

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See synonyms for: peruse / perusing / peruser on Thesaurus.com

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

to read through with thoroughness or care: Make sure you peruse the document before signing.

to scan or browse: 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.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM peruse

pe·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, adjective

re·pe·ruse, verb (used with object), re·pe·rused, re·pe·rus·ing.un·pe·rus·a·ble, adjectiveun·pe·rused, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH peruse

peruse , pursue

Words nearby peruse

Peru Current, Perugia, Perugino, peruke, perusal, peruse, Perutz, Peruvian, Peruvian balsam, Peruvian bark, Peruvian mastic tree

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use peruse in a sentence

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
Who wants to peruse fictitious adventures, when railroads and steamboats woo him to adventures of his own?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
It is necessary to read the word of God, but sinful to peruse it thoughtlessly, or in an irreverent frame of mind.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
I have spooke to Sr Miles Cooke, who promises to lett me have your settlement to peruse, and to end matters fairly.
Notes and Queries, Number 194, July 16, 1853|Various
No one will peruse a page without laying down the book a better and a wiser man.
Tolstoy on Shakespeare|Leo Tolstoy
Nigel became more interested in the volume at the second than at the first attempt which he made to peruse it.
The Fortunes of Nigel|Sir Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for peruse

peruse

/ (pəˈruːz) /

verb (tr)

to read or examine with care; study

to browse or read through in a leisurely way

Derived forms of peruse

perusal, 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

peruse

Origin of peruse

OTHER WORDS FROM peruse

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH peruse

Words nearby peruse

Words related to peruse

How to use peruse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for peruse

Derived forms of peruse

Word Origin for peruse