MEANING
1. To read or examine written material with care.
2. To look through written material without necessarily studying it closely.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- peruse a letter
- peruse the records
On the page
She perused the letter twice before touching the seal.
He perused the records for a name the clerk denied knowing.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- peruse
- Past tense
- perused
- Past participle
- perused
- Present participle
- perusing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- peruse
- Present continuous
- am/is/are perusing
- Present perfect
- have/has perused
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been perusing
- Past
- perused
- Past continuous
- was/were perusing
- Past perfect
- had perused
- Past perfect continuous
- had been perusing
- Future
- will peruse
- Future continuous
- will be perusing
- Future perfect
- will have perused
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been perusing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: peruse; peruses; perused; perused; perusing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: peruses.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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