leafing through

USAGE SUMMARY

"leafing through" is a correct and usable expression in written English.
You can use it to describe the action of flipping through paper or a book to look for something. Example sentence: She spent the afternoon leafing through her old photo albums.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Literature

General Conversation

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

She started leafing through the novel.

The New Yorker

I started leafing through the holiday brochures.

The Guardian

Dr. Shapiro started leafing through the book.

The New York Times - Science

Mr. Graham was leafing through a newspaper.

The New York Times

He paused, as if leafing through a mental dictionary.

The New Yorker

Santek began leafing through the contents of the package.

The New Yorker

"Cheese scnoes?" I puzzled, leafing through cookbook after cookbook.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

The governor prefers oral presentations to leafing through briefing books.

The New York Times

I'VE been leafing through a bunch of cocktail manuals recently.

The New York Times

"I'll talk to him," I said, leafing through the chart.

The New York Times - Health

I noticed Madeleine leafing through a fashion magazine.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "leafing through" when you want to convey a casual and exploratory approach to reading or examining something. It's ideal for describing the act of browsing a book, magazine, or collection of documents without necessarily reading everything in detail.

Common error

Avoid using "leafing through" in formal reports or academic papers where a more thorough and analytical approach to reading is expected. Instead, opt for terms like "examining" or "analyzing" to convey a more serious and in-depth review of the material.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "leafing through" functions as a present participle verb phrase, typically used as part of a continuous verb tense (e.g., "She is leafing through a magazine") or as a gerund (e.g., "Leafing through old books is a relaxing hobby"). It describes an ongoing action of casually browsing.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

General Conversation

15%

Literature

10%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "leafing through" is a versatile and commonly used verb phrase that describes the act of casually browsing or skimming through a book, magazine, or other documents. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability. It is most frequently found in News & Media contexts, but also appears in general conversation and literature. While generally neutral in register, it tends towards informality. When a more formal or in-depth review is needed, consider using alternatives such as "examining" or "reviewing". As shown by Ludwig, the phrase effectively conveys a superficial engagement with the material, rather than a thorough reading.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

browsing through

Suggests a leisurely and unhurried examination.

flipping through

Emphasizes the action of quickly turning pages.

thumbing through

Highlights the use of the thumb to turn pages.

skimming through

Focuses on reading quickly and superficially, omitting some details.

looking over

Suggests a general and often quick assessment.

glancing through

Implies a brief and cursory look.

scanning

Implies quickly looking for specific information.

perusing

A more formal term for reading or examining carefully.

running through

Indicates a quick review or rehearsal of something.

examining

Focuses on a detailed and careful inspection.

FAQs

How to use "leafing through" in a sentence?

You can use "leafing through" to describe the action of casually browsing a book, magazine, or documents, like in the sentence: "She was "leafing through" a magazine while waiting for her appointment."

What can I say instead of "leafing through"?

You can use alternatives like "browsing through", "skimming through", or "flipping through" depending on the specific context.

Is "leafing through" formal or informal?

"Leafing through" is generally considered an informal phrase. In more formal contexts, you might prefer alternatives like "examining" or "reviewing".

What's the difference between "leafing through" and "reading"?

"Leafing through" implies a quick and casual browsing, while "reading" suggests a more focused and thorough engagement with the text. You can be "leafing through" a book without actually reading it in detail.