flip through
phr. v..phr. v.. to look quickly at the pages of a book, magazine, or document without reading everything.
phr. v.. to turn pages rapidly in order to scan for specific information or to get a general impression of the content; typically implies a lack of deep engagement with the text.
I often flip through magazines while waiting for the dentist.
He spent the afternoon flipping through old photo albums to find a picture of his grandfather.
While flipping through the dense legal document, the lawyer noticed a small clause that changed the entire nature of the contract.
- Particles
- through
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- flip + through + object
usually followed by a noun representing a physical or digital collection of pages.
contrast with 'read' (intensive) and 'skim' (purposeful scanning); 'flip through' emphasizes the physical action of turning pages.
I flipped the book through.I flipped through the book.when used to mean scanning pages, this phrasal verb is inseparable and the object must follow the particle.