Phrasal verbs · Free lesson
Browse through: look over the options
You open a recipe book to get dinner ideas. You look at several pages, but you do not study every recipe.
Professor Scott MendozaMeaning in this lesson
browse through
Look over a book, catalog, or collection without reading every part closely.
Example
“I browsed through the recipe book for ideas.”
I looked at different parts of the recipe book to get ideas.
The short answer
Browse through means look over a collection casually. Put the collection after through: browse through the book. With a pronoun, keep the same order: browse through it.
Keep through before the thing you browse.
In this useful multiword pattern, through introduces the collection. Do not move it after a pronoun as you might with put it off. The past form is browsed; the ongoing form is browsing.
Compare the examples
She browsed through the catalog.
She browsed through it.
I’m browsing through some recipes.
Browsing does not prove that you read everything or checked every detail.
Build the meaning step by step
Choose the action
browse through
Add the collection
browse through the recipes
Try it now
Meaning and word order
Read all answers and explanations
Someone browsed through a book. What can you safely conclude?
They looked through parts of the book.Browsing describes looking through the content. It does not establish memorization or purchase.
Replace the catalog with it. Keep the through pattern.
I browsed through it.The singular catalog becomes it, after through. Them would refer to plural things.
You looked at several recipes for dinner ideas. Choose the statement that avoids claiming a complete review.
I browsed through the recipe book.Browsed through matches a partial, casual look. The other options claim much more work.
Build it yourself
Use the pronoun
The catalog is already mentioned. Use every piece to say what you did.
Start with I and keep through before it. Select a piece again to move it back.
Your sentence
0 of 4 piecesYour chosen pieces will appear here.
See a model answer
I browsed through it.
It refers to the catalog and remains after through.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Must I read the whole book?
No. Browsing can involve selected pages or sections. It does not promise complete reading.
I browsed through a few pages.
Is browse the website also correct?
Yes. Browse has several valid patterns. The pronoun-order activity specifically practices browse through, so it retains through.
You can browse the website later.
Take it into your day
Browse through the book → browse through it.
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