browse

IPA/braʊz/
KK[brˈaʊz]IPA/braʊz/

browse — verb

  • browsepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • browses3rd person singular
  • browsing-ing form
  • browsedpast simple

1. to spend time moving through pages or around a store, stopping only at things th

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to spend time moving through pages or around a store, stopping only at things that catch your eye instead of choosing carefully.

Example

At the train station, Priya browsed the travel magazines before boarding.

browse + magazines without full reading

Noa spent an hour browsing in the old bookshop near the river.

browse in + shop

Common collocations
  • browse a magazine
  • browse the shelves
  • browse through a book
  • browse around a shop
Synonyms
  • look through

    plain everyday phrase; often used for books, papers, and photos

  • leaf through

    mainly for pages you turn quickly by hand

  • shop around

    stresses visiting or comparing shops more than reading material

Antonyms
  • search

    suggests a clear goal rather than casual looking

  • hunt for

    more deliberate and focused than 'browse'

Grammar Patterns

browse + noun (magazine, shelves, shop)

browse through + noun

browse in/around + place

Usage Note

Common with 'through' for books or pages, and with 'in' or 'around' for shops and markets. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about physical pages or places, not an online space.

Common Mistakes

We browsed at some magazines in the cafe.
We browsed some magazines in the cafe.' / 'We browsed through some magazines in the cafe.
use the object directly, or add 'through'; do not use 'browse at'.

2. to move from page to page online, reading or checking digital material that inte

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to move from page to page online, reading or checking digital material that interests you.

Example

After dinner, Omar browsed the train times on his phone.

browse + information on a device

The children sat by the window and browsed for birthday cake ideas.

browse for + noun online

Common collocations
  • browse the internet
  • browse a website
  • browse online
  • browse for ideas
Synonyms
  • surf

    informal; especially common for moving around the web casually

  • scroll through

    focuses on moving down a screen rather than visiting different pages

  • look up

    more specific; usually means finding one exact piece of information

Grammar Patterns

browse + noun (website, menu, photos)

browse the internet/web

browse for + noun

Usage Note

Often takes objects like 'website', 'menu', 'photos', or 'the internet', and it can also be followed by 'for' when the goal is loose rather than exact. Distinguish from sense 1 by the digital setting.

Common Mistakes

I browsed in the internet for recipes.
I browsed the internet for recipes.' / 'I browsed online for recipes.
use 'the internet' as the object, or say 'online'; do not say 'in the internet'.

3. (of animals) to eat leaves, grass, or small branches slowly while moving about.

3.verbtransitive / intransitiveC1
Definition

(of animals) to eat leaves, grass, or small branches slowly while moving about.

Example

At sunrise, two deer browsed on low branches behind the school.

browse on + plant food

Goats were browsing along the dry hillside after the rain stopped.

progressive form with animal subject

Common collocations
  • browse on leaves
  • browse low branches
  • browse along the hillside
  • browse young shoots
Synonyms
  • graze

    more strongly linked to animals eating grass in a field

  • feed

    broadest choice; does not show the slow, selective action

  • nibble

    stresses small bites rather than the whole feeding activity

Grammar Patterns

browse on + noun

browse + noun (leaves, branches)

Usage Note

Subject must be an animal. Often used for animals eating leaves, shoots, or branches from bushes and trees, not just ordinary field grass. Distinguish from 'graze', which more strongly suggests feeding on grass.

Common Mistakes

The deer browsed grass all afternoon.
The deer grazed on grass all afternoon.' / 'The deer browsed on leaves all afternoon.
'browse' is more natural for leaves, shoots, or branches than for open grass.

browse — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Browse' suggests moving casually from thing to thing and stopping where your attention lands. 'Look through' is the broad everyday choice for checking pages, papers, or objects, with less of that wandering feeling. 'Leaf through' is mainly for books or magazines, because it highlights turning pages by hand. 'Skim' is narrower: it means reading quickly for the main points, so it fits text better than shop shelves. 'Shop around' is closest in stores, but it usually implies comparing places or prices before buying. For example, you can 'browse a photo album' or 'browse in a gift shop', but you would more naturally 'skim a report' and 'shop around for a cheaper phone plan'.

browse ↗look through ↗leaf through ↗skim ↗shop around ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • have a browse
  • browse the internet
  • browse through a book
  • browse around a shop

Prepositions

  • browse through
  • browse around
  • browse in
  • browse for

Etymology

Anglo-FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

English first used 'browse' for the young shoots and leaves eaten by animals. That early noun came from Anglo-French 'brost' or 'broust', meaning a bud or fresh growth. The verb first described animals feeding on leaves and twigs. From that image of moving lightly from one bit of food to another, English later extended the word to people looking casually through books, around shops, and eventually across web pages.