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browse

browse

 
 
pronunciation:
braUz
parts of speech:
intransitive verb, transitive verb, noun
features:
Word Combinations (verb, noun), Word History, Word Explorer
part of speech: intransitive verb
definition 1: to examine items in a leisurely way.
The shop seemed to be busy with customers, but most of them were just browsing with no intention to buy.
synonyms:
poke around
similar words:
shop, window-shop
definition 2: to graze or feed on growing plants.
The sheep are browsing in the meadow.
synonyms:
graze, pasture
similar words:
eat, feed, nibble
 
part of speech: transitive verb
inflections: browses, browsing, browsed
definition 1: to look through (a book, magazine, or the like) in a leisurely way.
She browsed the store's greetings cards while her friend did her shopping.
synonyms:
look over
antonyms:
pore
similar words:
leaf through, scan, skim, thumb
definition 2: to walk about (a shop or other place) in a leisurely way, examining different items but without any specific intentions.
He had time to kill at the airport, so he browsed the shops.
definition 3: to graze or feed on.
Cattle are browsing the grass.
synonyms:
graze
similar words:
eat, nibble
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
 
part of speech: noun
definition: new plant growth, such as shoots, leaves, and the like, that is suitable for grazing.
similar words:
grass, shoots
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derivation: browser (n.)
Word History
Browse comes from a French word that means "a bud or sprout." In the 1400s, the English word "browse" meant "to graze." Grazing animals tend to nibble at the young, more tender parts of plants. Browse was first used to mean "look through a book casually or slowly" in the 1800s. When one browses through a book, it is as though one is slowly eating or nibbling lightly.
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See
  book, plant