browse

verb \ ˈbrau̇z \

Definition of browse

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 ²browse 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

play \ˈbrau̇-zə-bəl\ adjective

See browse defined for English-language learners

See browse defined for kids

Examples of browse in a Sentence

Several customers were browsing in the bookstore.
He was browsing the want ads in the newspaper.
cows browsing in the pasture

Recent Examples of browse from the Web

Shoppers browsed from stall to stall at the weekly farmers market at the Miller Branch library on Wednesday during National Farmers Market Week.

— kate magill, Howard County Times, "Growing season peaks with National Farmers Market Week in Howard County," 10 Aug. 2017
The beginning of the school year is almost here, and for most students that means picking out dorm furniture, browsing course catalogs, and planning out all your outfits for back-to-school parties.

— hanna howard, Teen Vogue, "University of Cambridge Student Courtney Boateng Claps Back at Racist Comments," 2 Aug. 2017
Ned Williams, a 51-year-old financial manager from Clifton, was browsing Simple Truth cold cuts.

— alexander coolidge, The Courier-Journal, "The Simple Truth: Private Selection, other Kroger brands drive sales," 26 July 2017
On April 3, Trump signed a law that makes your internet browsing history available to big businesses.

— araceli cruz, Teen Vogue, "5 Problematic Laws You Didn’t Know Trump Passed," 20 July 2017
On Amazon Spark, everything is integrated back to Amazon's shopping experience, creating a seamless way to browse photos and shop at the same time.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Amazon Spark is a product discovery social network that looks like Instagram," 19 July 2017
And after 30 years, the adorable royal hand-me-down is still in pretty good shape! Browsing through Will and Harry’s childhood clothes is nothing new for Kate.

— diana pearl, PEOPLE.com, "A Royal Match! Princess Charlotte Wears Uncle Harry’s 1986 Shoes in Poland," 18 July 2017
Nelson says book lovers will want to put aside time for browsing at Lyrical Ballad, a book shop housed in an old bank, that specializes in rare and antique books, prints and maps.

— korky vann, courant.com, "Saratoga Springs Offers Victorian Architecture, 'Health, History, Horses'," 18 July 2017
The only function that is required of this laptop is web browsing.

— patrick marshall, The Seattle Times, "Computer came free, but worries arrive with it," 15 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'browse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of browse

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

browse Synonyms

Synonyms

¹graze, forage, pasture, rustle

Antonyms

gaze, stare

Related Words

eat, feed, nibble; range, stock; overgraze

Near Antonyms

examine, overlook, oversee, question, survey; study, view; peer, pry; gawk, goggle, rubberneck; leer, ogle

browse

noun

Definition of browse

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

Recent Examples of browse from the Web

The booming deer population already has been especially hard on vegetation beneath the browse line — the first 7 feet off the ground.

— lee bergquist and bob riepenhoff, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Survey says 88% plan to hunt this fall, even a 12% drop would mean 80,000 fewer hunters," 6 July 2017
Browse Safely To surf the web is to publicly share your browsing activity with online data collectors.

— lo bénichou, WIRED, "How to Protect Your Digital Self," 6 July 2017
Browse through arts and crafts vendors, grab a bite at Food Row vendors and take a break at the beer garden.

— madeline mckenzie, The Seattle Times, "Seafair Pirates, watercraft and kids activities at Edmonds Waterfront Festival," 31 May 2017
Go downtown for First Saturday Artwalk, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Visit 20 galleries, browse works offered by art vendors and see artists working.

— marla jo fisher, Orange County Register, "50 free things to do in Orange County this summer," 26 May 2017
Shoppers were supposed to stroll inside the huge buildings and leisurely browse from store to store, discovering small shops and perhaps lingering in a restaurant.

— bob shaw, Twin Cities, "Tamarack Village shopping center healthy at age 20 amid retail challenges," 29 Apr. 2017
Their animals chomp down shrubs, brush, grass and other plants – known as browse – for regular landscaping maintenance and to create defensible buffers of low-brush areas around houses and other buildings for wildfire protection.

— Orange County Register, "Thanks to recent rains, using goats for brush control is in demand," 6 Mar. 2017

Origin and Etymology of browse

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1523

See Words from the same year

BROWSE Defined for English Language Learners

browse

verb

Definition of browse for English Language Learners

: to look at many things in a store, in a newspaper, etc., to see if there is something interesting or worth buying
: to use a special program (called a browser) to find and look at information on the Internet
of an animal : to eat grass, plants, etc.