Phrasal verb
flip through
Definition
phrasal verb. to look quickly at the pages of a book, magazine, or document without reading everything.
phrasal verb. 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.
Examples
“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.”
Examples
simple
“I often flip through magazines while waiting for the dentist.”
contextual
“He spent the afternoon flipping through old photo albums to find a picture of his grandfather.”
complex
“While flipping through the dense legal document, the lawyer noticed a small clause that changed the entire nature of the contract.”
Usage
usually followed by a noun representing a physical or digital collection of pages.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'read' (intensive) and 'skim' (purposeful scanning); 'flip through' emphasizes the physical action of turning pages.
Pitfall
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.
Phrasal verb
Particles
through
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
flip + through + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/flip-through