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.
They can shop around for lower cost plans or switch to Advantage plans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
So you just have to log in, shop around and find out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
And then shop around among banks for a competitive interest rate and the lowest origination fee, if any.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
The CMA also said there were significant local variations in price, with potential savings of up to £9 per tank of petrol and diesel if drivers shop around.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
Mama made the coach stop at a barber shop around the corner from their house.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
