Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To read or examine, typically with great care.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To go through searchingly or carefully; run over with careful scrutiny; examine throughout or in detail; inspect; survey; scan; scrutinize.
- To read through carefully or with attention.
Wiktionary
- n. An examination or perusal; an instance of perusing.
- v. transitive To examine or consider with care.
- v. transitive To read completely.
- v. transitive, informal To look over casually; to skim.
- v. intransitive, regional To go from place to place; to wander.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. rare To observe; to examine with care.
- v. To read through; to read carefully.
WordNet 3.0
- v. examine or consider with attention and in detail
Etymologies
- From per-+use, from either Medieval Latin (peruti, perusitare ("wear out")) or Anglo-Norman (peruser ("use up")), originally leading two concurrent meanings, but only those derived from "to examine" survive today. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English perusen, to use up : Latin per-, per- + Middle English usen, to use; see use. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Navy Captain John Murphy, the lead prosecutor, told the court it was standard practice for the guards to "peruse" written material after a detainee spoke with his attorneys "for force protection.”
“Live pictures, again, you see the airboat right there as they kind of peruse these neighborhoods that are now been flooded with these rivers of water looking for folks to rescue.”
“However, "peruse" actually has the opposite meaning.”
“[Footnote A: It was Miss Wooler who taught Charlotte to "peruse".]”
“I, for one, always thought "peruse" was a rough synonym for”
“If you would like to "peruse" another article, perhaps you might be interested in my previous article.”
“On the 22nd June the Chamberlain was instructed to prepare with all convenient speed four dozen good _splentes_ and as many good _sallettes_ or _sculles_ for the city’s use, and to cause a bowyer to "peruse" the city’s bows and to put them in such good order that they might be serviceable when required. (”
“You love to peruse their status updates online, but just as a diet of only candy leaves you craving a real meal, those updates are meant to tide you over between interactions.”
“Those celebs who had not yet decided on their final gowns could peruse fashion designer Shekhar Rahate's haute couture Oscar collection, baubles from Amyn of Jewelry on 7th and purses from Timmy Woods handbags.”
The Huffington Post: Zorianna Kit: 2011 Academy Awards Gifting suites
“I think I'll have to peruse the Kick Starter website ... jason b also, im kinda thinking this is THE definition of independant filmaking. like maybe what Sundance/the Spirit awards/project greenlight/etc USE to be about. sadly those days are long gone, but i'd like to think that there was a time when this is the energy & love for the craft that they use to support.”
Ryan vs. Dorkman Director Needs Your Help To Make His First Feature | /Film
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘peruse’.
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1100
abound, technology, branch of knowled..., prognosticate, automaton, matron, an older married ..., realm, special field of ..., kingdom, annals, historical records and 981 more...
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GRE 2014
abate, abdicate, abase, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( et...
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 2046 more...
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GRE
predilection, explicit, appeal, supplication, appealing, enchanting, ovation, pertinent, apropos, opportunely, applicable, germane and 381 more...
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GRE 1100
drudgery, implore, hapless, nuance, wrest, incipient, inadvertent, tremulous, bristle, euphemism, disdain, pugnacious and 346 more...
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Old words
recalcitrant, grok, Hiatus, shanghai, pervade, diffuse, tempestuous, incorrigible, daunt, cull, Erudite, Assuage and 34 more...
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gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1824 more...
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magoosh1
aberration, aboveboard, abysmal, ace, affable, aghast, alacrity, ambiguous, ambivalent, ameliorate, amenable, amiable and 205 more...
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ash vocab
flippant, fillip, expiate, explicate, extirpate, facile, florid, fealty, allegiance, fetid, febrile, pert and 134 more...
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Hit Parade GRE
Princeton Review words
abscond, aberrant, alacrity, anomaly, approbation, arduous, assuage, audacious, austere, axiomatic, canonical, capricious and 287 more...
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1100 words you need to know
GRE words
voracious, indiscriminate, replete, steeped, eminent, perceive, intrepid, compound, automaton, reticent, interminable, drudgery and 288 more...
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What Do You Mean $
ahh these hurt.....
hermit, prone, maxim, guise, solvenly, lurid, lax, amiable, irate, cloister, mediate, nettle and 100 more...
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Vocab
Words that I come across, and go blank, or want to clarify.
nefarious, edifice, malevolent, ostensible, folderol, bauble, livid, amnesty, calculus, saddlery, maisonette, cuisse and 423 more...
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List Erine
cool mint antiseptic
shalom, cattywampus, bourgeoisie, aerophile, traverse, grotto, epicurean, ex cathedra, nautilus, epitaph, lathe, continuum and 753 more...
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My Revised GRE Preparation List
Words from the new GRE : This list consists mostly of words from the book Magoosh-GRE-vocab-ebook, which is one of the best vocab materials available, especially if you have started preparing one ...
alacrity, prosaic, veracity, paucity, contrite, trite, maintain, laconic, pugnacious, disparate, egregious, innocuous and 533 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for peruse.
BrainyBabe He came to a standstill in front of her, and perused her with the expression of an intensely interested haddock. - ''Yashima, or, The Gorgeous West'' by R T Sherwood, 1931. Dec 23, 2008
oroboros Examine in detail v. look over casually. May 23, 2008
iangilman As seen in a Cracked's 9 Words That Don't Mean What You Think. Nov 26, 2007
brtom Consider, you who peruse me, whether I may not in unknown ways be looking upon you ... Whitman, "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" Dec 11, 2006