window shopping

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The activity of looking at goods in store windows without intending to buy anything.

   Grammar: Uncountable: you can say 'do some window shopping' but not 'a window shopping'. It often follows 'go'.

   Patterns

   • go window shopping
   • do some window shopping
   • window shopping in a place

   We spent the afternoon window shopping along the main street.

   I wasn't planning to buy anything; I was just doing some window shopping.

   Window shopping is free, which makes it a popular weekend activity.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Used before a noun to describe a trip or activity where you only look at goods, not buy them.

   Grammar: Comes before a noun: a window-shopping trip, a window-shopping afternoon.

   Patterns

   • a window-shopping trip
   • a window-shopping afternoon

   They took a window-shopping trip through the mall before dinner.

   Our window-shopping afternoon ended with coffee and no bags.

Common combinations

go window shopping

Let's go window shopping after lunch and see what's new.

do some window shopping

I did some window shopping online but didn't order anything.

a window-shopping trip

The city break included a window-shopping trip in the old town.

just window shopping

When the assistant asked if she needed help, she said, 'Just window shopping, thanks.'

Synonyms and how they differ

browsing

Browsing means looking at things casually, often online or in a store; window shopping usually means looking at displays from outside or without buying.

looking around

Looking around is a general phrase for exploring a place; window shopping is specifically about looking at goods you may buy.

Word family

window shopper noun

A person who looks at goods without buying.

shop verb

To buy things in stores.

Commonly confused: window shopping or shopping?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “window shopping”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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