shop around
Britishverb
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to visit a number of shops or stores to compare goods and prices
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to consider a number of possibilities before making a choice
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Look for the best bargain, opportunity, or the like, as in This job offers only minimum wage so she decided to shop around for one with better pay . This expression alludes to looking in different stores in search of bargains or a particular item. [c. 1920]
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Look for a buyer for, offer for sale to various parties, as in The company is now being actively shopped around . [Second half of 1900s]
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.
These higher prices could push beneficiaries to shop around this enrollment period.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
In your 50s, you have time to shop around.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Meanwhile, Charlie Highnett, who lives in East Yorkshire, said he would shop around accommodation providers for a cheaper deal in North Yorkshire in a bid to offset the cost of any levy.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
“Even if they’re not terribly concerned about how much it costs, they know that they can shop around and get a better deal.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
A contract would make it harder for them to do that, and easier for him to sell to one dealer what he had bought from another—and thus to shop around for prices.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
