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One browses magazines and the Internet, or one can browse through them. Any dictionary will say as much.

On the same token one can browse through a shop.

However, an N-gram proves that you will more often browse in a shop rather than simply browse a shop. Why is that? Is there a change in meaning? After all, whether it's a magazine, the Internet or a shop, I'm still glancing at stuff (whether reading or looking at images/objects).

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  • You could add research from say AHD (which has the 'browse a shop' example). It happily lists both transitive and intransitive usages.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 16:29
  • The difference is that a shop is a place, so you can be in it. And browsing the products is something you do while you're in there.
    – Barmar
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 16:37
  • From "browse the shop" I would take away the meaning that one looked through the window, to decide if it was worth entering. From "browse in the shop" I would take away the meaning that the person was in the shop, to decide if any products were worth purchasing.
    – Davo
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 16:41
  • @Davo: that really answered my question. Would you like to put it in an answer?
    – SC for reinstatement of Monica
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 16:51
  • Similar to many other shortenings in context, e.g shop (at/in) the mall.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 19:54

2 Answers 2

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From browse the shop, I would take away the meaning that one looked through the window, to decide if it was worth entering.

From browse in the shop, I would take away the meaning that the person was in the shop, to decide if any products were worth purchasing.

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  • 8 out of the first 10 Google hits I've found for "browsed the shop" demand that the usage is merely a variant of "We browsed in/round the shop", and the other two probably mean the same. This is as I'd expect the expressions to be used.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 17:10
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Browse the shop

Checkout the shop, investigate the shop, thorough look at the shop.*

Browse in the shop

Checkout the products in the shop, investigate the products in the shop, thorough look at the products in the shop.*

*As per my knowledge

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  • Note that "as per my knowledge* really isn’t English. See also 1, 2, 3.
    – tchrist ♦
    Commented Jan 11, 2021 at 19:40

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