peruse
View all »Definitions (6)
American Heritage Dictionary (2)
- transitive verb To read or examine, typically with great care.
- usage note Peruse has long meant "to read thoroughly” and is often used loosely when one could use the word read instead, as in The librarians checked to see which titles had been perused in the last month and which been left untouched. Seventy percent of the Usage Panel rejected this example in our 1999 survey. Sometimes people use it to mean "to glance over, skim,” as in I only had a moment to peruse the manual quickly, but this usage is widely considered an error. In a 1988 survey, 66 percent of the Panel found it unacceptable, and in 1999, 58 percent still rejected it.
Century Dictionary (2)
GNU Webster's 1913 (1)
WordNet (1)
Elsewhere on the web
View all » Examples
- Annals, which I hope you will peruse, and return with observations, as you did upon the former occasion. — Life Of Johnson
- Don Francisco, who had sent for him to consult him in this troublesome business, gave him the general of Achen's letter to peruse, and demanded his advice what was to be done on this occasion. — The Works of John Dryden
- Before he went to church they offered him his part to peruse, but he did not even look at it. — The Confessions of J J Rousseau
- 'These papers you will please to peruse, and give your opinion, Whether there is a probability of the above decree of the Court of Session's being reversed, if Mr. Thomson should appeal from the same?' — Life of Johnson
- He had to locate the Disciple before he could strike. — The Fire In His Hands
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Peruse has been looked up 593 times, favorited 0 times, listed 39 times, commented on 4 times, and has a Scrabble score of 8.
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View all »Etymologies (3)
American Heritage Dictionary (1)
- Middle English perusen, to use up : Latin per-, per- + Middle English usen, to use; see use.
Century Dictionary (1)
GNU Webster's 1913 (1)
WordNet
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Pronunciations
/ (pə-ro͞ozˈ)/
ahd pronounces "peruse"
by
American Heritage Dictionary