shop around

present singular third person shops around · participle present shopping around · participle past shopped around · past shopped around

1. intransitiveTo actively search and compare options before making a selection or choice of vendor.

   He's gone to shop around for a new car.

2. intransitiveTo actively make a search for an alternative choice of something one has, owns, or wants, without it necessarily involving buying or selling anything.

   She's shopping around for a new boyfriend.

   3 more examples

   Before you ask some girl for her hand now / Keep your freedom for as long as you can now / My mama told me, you better shop around.

   1960, Smokey Robinson, “Shop Around”, performed by The Miracles

   Girl no longer do I / Have to shop around any more, no no no / I've found that once in a lifetime / Girl that I've been searching for

   1973, Willie Hutch, “I Choose You”

   Federal courts look very disapprovingly on local D.A.s shopping around from grand jury to grand jury to et the indictments they want.

   1980 August 2, Mitzel, “Kopacz Indicted On Murder One”, in Gay Community News, page 6

3. transitiveTo put something out on offer to multiple parties in the hope one will choose it.

   He's shopping around his book to several studios. He hopes to get a movie deal.

   1 more example

   A demo of the Cascades doing "I Wish That We Were Married" was taped and shopped around to various labels.

   1990, Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, →ISBN, page 119