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
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to browse or read through in a leisurely way
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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perusalnoun
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perusernoun
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preperuseverb (used with object)
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reperuseverb (used with object)
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perusableadjective
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quasi-perusableadjective
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unperusableadjective
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unperusedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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perusesimple
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perusessimple
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have perusedperfect
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has perusedperfect
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am perusingprogressive
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are perusingprogressive
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is perusingprogressive
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have been perusingperfect progressive
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has been perusingperfect progressive
Past
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perusedsimple
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had perusedperfect
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was perusingprogressive
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were perusingprogressive
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had been perusingperfect progressive
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."
Vocabulary lists containing peruse
Romeo and Juliet
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The Hunger Games
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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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:
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
In 2020, a house hunter in Boise, Ida., could peruse over 20 properties for sale before encountering one listed for $1 million or more.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
It is increasingly becoming a social network, where users go to peruse work by multiple authors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
Finally he wandered off to peruse the merchandise.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
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
They argued that the law unconstitutionally burdens website operators, content creators and anyone who peruses certain corners of the internet.
From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2023
An auburn-haired woman with a tight bun and pursed red lips peruses the laptop on the desk in front of her, reading the data from our barcodes.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
It’s meant to be picked up, perused and admired.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
Along Hollywood Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon, Canadian tourist Harpreet Kaur, 24, perused shops with her cousins and uncle in tow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2025
On a recent, bustling Saturday night at a trendy cocktail bar on Chicago’s near northwest side, my friend perused the menu full of bespoke drinks — most containing bitter aperitifs — and looked vexed.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2024
"The courts have perused hundreds of pages of documents to reach this decision. For Parliament simply to say the facts are different would be constitutionally really quite extraordinary."
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2023
Bono thrust a palm against my chest to hold me at a distance, leaned the book on an upraised knee, and with the other hand, perused the pages.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Tehran’s streets burst with shoppers perusing markets for flowers, painted eggs and confections for their “haft-sin” table, the traditional spread of seven items symbolizing spring, renewal and prosperity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
It's a story I first stumbled on almost a decade ago while perusing the newspaper archives – and the more I dug, the more I discovered.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026
Young men and women mingled freely, perusing works of contemporary art and design objects while a band played live music in the background.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025
So next time you’re in the herb aisle, perusing the verdant options, bypass the usual suspects.
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2025
It was in those days, then, prompted by my natural admiration for the lady, that I had first taken to perusing her volumes in the library whenever I had an odd moment.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
