browse

1 of 2

verb

browsed; browsing

transitive verb

1
a
of an animal : to eat (tender shoots, twigs, leaves of trees and shrubs, etc.) : to consume as browse (see browse entry 2 sense 1)
browsing thistles
b
: graze
2
: to look over casually : skim
browsing the want ads
3
computers : to access (a network) by means of a browser

intransitive verb

1
a
of an animal : to feed on or as if on tender shoots, twigs, and leaves of trees and shrubs : to feed on or as if on browse
b
: graze
cows browsing in the pasture
2
a
: to skim through a book reading passages that catch the eye
b
: to look over or through an aggregate of things casually especially in search of something of interest
browsing through the store's magazine section
browsable adjective

browse

2 of 2

noun

1
: tender shoots, twigs, and leaves of trees and shrubs used by animals for food
2
: an act or instance of browsing
a quick browse through the want ads

Examples of browse in a Sentence

Verb Several customers were browsing in the bookstore. He was browsing the want ads in the newspaper. cows browsing in the pasture
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Fuel your shopping spree with a brunch of fluffy pancakes at Java & Jam, then browse art galleries and designer stores overflowing with unique finds. Jp Shaffer, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024 From hard-to-find Alaïa dresses to Hermès bags, Hula has a trove of pieces; browsing the site is just as fun as an in-person shopping spree. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024 Artists open their studios to the public to browse and buy. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 21 Apr. 2024 Tens of thousands of tourists stop off Interstate 24 each year to pose beneath a 15-foot Superman statue at the center of town, to attend the summertime Superman Celebration, or to browse one of the world’s largest collections of Superman paraphernalia at the Super Museum. Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024 With this plan, users can protect their laptops, smartphones, and other gear and enjoy a smoother browsing experience. Stackcommerce Team, PCMAG, 16 Apr. 2024 Curious customers can browse bookshelves filled with topics ranging from historic events that led to social justice movements to fictional adventurers who mirror real-world activists fighting oppression. The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024 This gives you options to delete all browsing history, cookies, and cached images and files. Kyle Barr / Gizmodo, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024 Its search engine, the company states in its privacy policy, doesn’t track your search or browsing histories, and blocks any other third parties who try to. Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2024
Noun
Its walkable downtown is resplendent with local shops, restaurants, and art galleries, which always make for a fun browse about town. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 By late spring, customers should be able to take a browse in person at the Camp Bowie boutique. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024 But this is all happening at, or around, the best deer feed in the area, whether that’s big-woods browse or mast, ag fields, or the best late-season food plots. Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024 Apple has equipped several of its headphones with Spatial Audio capabilities and the streaming platform prominently shares new new spatial audio releases near the top of Apple Music’s browse page. Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2024 Ahead, take a browse through the looks that she’s graced us with from the beginning till now. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 8 Aug. 2023 Bottom line: Ulta’s Big Summer Beauty Sale is worth a browse. Nicola Fumo, Peoplemag, 7 July 2023 This is my favorite place to look: A scrubby, overgrown field with some browse, berries, locust trees (deer love the pods), and the like. Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 24 Jan. 2023 These types of ads can be shown on the Walmart homepage, in search results, on browse pages and on product detail pages. Omer Riaz, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'browse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English brouusen, probably from Anglo-French brouts browse entry 2

Noun

probably modification of Anglo-French brouts, plural of brout sprout, of Germanic origin; akin to Old Saxon brustian to sprout, and perhaps to Old English brēost breast — more at breast

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1523, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of browse was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near browse

Cite this Entry

“Browse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/browse. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

browse

1 of 2 verb
browsed; browsing
1
: to nibble or feed on leaves and shoots
2
: to read or look over something in a light or careless way

browse

2 of 2 noun
1
: tender shoots and leaves used by animals for food
2
: an act or instance of browsing

More from Merriam-Webster on browse

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