window-shop

verb

win·​dow-shop ˈwin-dō-ˌshäp How to pronounce window-shop (audio)
-də-
window-shopped; window-shopping; window-shops

intransitive verb

: to look at the displays in retail store windows without going inside the stores to make purchases
window-shopper noun

Examples of window-shop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Since open enrollment begins next month, insurers will need to start posting premium prices for customers to window-shop in the coming days. — Tribune News Service, Twin Cities, 7 Oct. 2025 On Market Street, the entertainment and fashion district of the upscale mega-suburb The Woodlands, north of the big city, people window-shop high-end boutiques and hit the many eateries at dusk when temperatures hovered in the 100s. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2023 Trek to the world-famous Hollywood Sign, admire the sweeping city views from the Griffith Observatory, window-shop along Rodeo Drive, and check out the Hollywood Walk of Fame. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 9 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of window-shop was in 1890

Rhymes for window-shop

See All Rhymes for window-shop

Browse Nearby Words

window shade
window-shop
window-shopper
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Window-shop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/window-shop. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

window-shop

verb
win·​dow-shop
ˈwin-dō-ˌshäp, 
-də-
: to look at the displays in store windows without going inside to buy
window-shopper noun

More from Merriam-Webster on window-shop

Nglish: Translation of window-shop for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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