Shopping · Money and prices
window shopping
browsing without buying
Window shopping means looking at things in shops without planning to buy them.
This vs that
We went window shopping.
We shopped around.
Hear it in real life
Did you buy anything?
No, we were only window shopping.
We spent Saturday afternoon window shopping in the city centre.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
This is the normal conversational phrase for looking around shops without buying.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: We went to window shop after lunch.
Say: We went window shopping after lunch.
Use the -ing form after 'go' in this activity phrase.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
go window shopping
We went window shopping after work.
I often go window shopping when I visit the city centre.
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about shopping.
have a look around
We’re just having a look around, thanks.
try on ___
Can I try on a different size?
Shopping words
Money and prices · Shopping: the words around “window shopping”.
More connectionsEasy to mix up · More shopping words9
Your turn: say it out loud
We were just window shopping.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
window shopping
browsing without buying
“We spent Saturday afternoon window shopping in the city centre.”
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