peruse
/pəˈruːz
/verb [with object] formal
1Read (something), typically in a thorough or careful way: he has spent countless hours in libraries perusing art history books and catalogues I perused several online reviews...
- By now, having thoroughly perused the menu, it was obvious that Haus Munchen was priced very moderately.
- You can navigate by country, topic or forum and read expert advice or peruse articles.
- The Tribunal perused the original and read the copies that were made for its use.
1.1Examine carefully or at length: Laura perused a Caravaggio...
- She thoroughly perused the room to make sure Pablo was nowhere nearby.
Usage
Note that peruse means ‘read’, typically with an implication of thoroughness and care. It does not mean ‘read through quickly; glance over’, as in documents will be perused rather than analysed thoroughly.
Derivatives
peruser
- But Michelle is no stranger to regular perusers of the pages of Britain's red-tops.
- Adrian was one of the first people to ever read this blog and has been a consistent peruser for over a year now.
- Year upon year, it was voted best new buy and best used buy by an adoring public and perusers of glossy magazines.
Origin
Late 15th century (in the sense 'use up, wear out'): perhaps from per- 'thoroughly' + use, but compare with Anglo-Norman French peruser 'examine'.