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to window-shop

to window-shop

11 3.5
To look at items in shop windows without planning to buy
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈwɪndoʊˌʃɑp/
translation icon : mirar escaparates
  • I was window-shopping in Oxford Street, daydreaming about what I'd buy for her, if I had any money.

And even if you don't, even if you're window shopping, that's your business, right?

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Examples

  • Francesca and Robert walk hand in hand, window shopping and taking in the sights.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Two women were pushing baby carriages just outside Hoffman-Lane, chatting between themselves while they window-shopped.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • No, I was just window shopping.

  • Are we just window shopping today, or would you like to make a purchase?

  • Plus this is the perfect time to catch up on my window shopping.

  • We're just going to do a little window shopping and walk around and then go on home.

  • You can just walk around, window shop, hang out with your middle school friends, and have fun.

    Blog text (20)
  • I'm window shopping at Bomb Depot as we speak.

  • The evening was warm, and couples were window-shopping and eating ice cream.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I love to window-shop on weekends just to see the latest fashion trends.

Synonyms

to browse
vsto window-shop
95 2.8

To look through shops or websites without planning to buy

focuses only on viewing goods shown in shop windows rather than anywhere else

Antonyms

1.0

To get something by paying money

How Interested

to buy
1.0
to shop
557 1.0
to browse
95 2.8
to window-shop
11 3.5

Surface Forms

window-shop infinitive
window-shopped past participle
window-shopping present participle
window-shops third person singular

Morphology

window-shop = window + shop (transparent) = window + shop

The verb is directly built from the clear compound 'window' + 'shop' and a learner who knows those words can infer 'to look at goods in shop windows without buying'.

Etymology

The word window-shop comes from the simple idea of looking at goods in a shop's window without going inside. So to window-shop is to look at shop displays 'without intending to buy'.