search

1 of 2

verb

searched; searching; searches

transitive verb

1
: to look into or over carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something: such as
a
: to examine in seeking something
searched the north field
b
: to look through or explore by inspecting possible places of concealment or investigating suspicious circumstances
c
: to read thoroughly : check
especially : to examine a public record or register for information about
search land titles
d
: to examine for articles concealed on the person
e
: to look at as if to discover or penetrate intention or nature
2
: to uncover, find, or come to know by inquiry or scrutiny
usually used with out

intransitive verb

1
: to look or inquire carefully
searched for the papers
2
: to make painstaking investigation or examination
searchability noun
searchable adjective
searcher noun
searchingly adverb

search

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an act of searching
a search for food
go in search of help
b
: an act of boarding and inspecting a ship on the high seas in exercise of right of search
2
obsolete : a party that searches
3
: power or range of penetrating
also : a penetrating effect

Examples of search in a Sentence

Verb They haven't found him yet, so they have to keep searching. The police searched her for concealed weapons. He was searched by the guard before he was allowed to enter the courtroom. The software allows you to search thousands of sites at the same time. She searched for information on the Web. He searched her face, hoping to see some glimmer of emotion. Noun We will begin a search for a new manager this week. I performed a search for the file. I did a Web search for restaurants in that area.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In an effort to mitigate the challenges airport employees can face when searching for child care, the city of Phoenix dedicated $5 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds to the project in 2021. Lux Butler, The Arizona Republic, 23 Mar. 2024 Wright said police began searching for the suspect moments after arriving at the scene Wednesday, working with other law enforcement officials and people connected to Cruz-Delcid in an effort to find him. Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 The shift is likely to severely affect working mothers, who already appear to be searching for new roles. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 22 Mar. 2024 The laws in Kansas and Missouri allow police to search cellphones in some emergencies, according to Miller. Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 Last July, prior to the hoax, Russell searched online for the kidnapping thriller Taken, the cost of an Amber Alert and a one-way bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville. Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024 Traumatic memory doesn’t feel like a historical event, but returns in an eternal present, disconnected from its origin, leaving its bearer searching for an explanation. George Makari, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024 Bhanu frantically searched for an immunity idol, not knowing Tiff already found it. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024 Oxford High dean: No reason to search the student's backpack Jurors also heard from Nicholas Ejak, the former dean of students at Oxford High School who also met with the Crumbleys on the morning before the shooting about their son's troubling drawing. Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024
Noun
And the search for bodies under the rubble of the complex continued on Saturday. Tanya Stukalova, ABC News, 24 Mar. 2024 The death toll remained at 133, but the search for bodies would continue, the governor said. Ivan Nechepurenko, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024 Mayor Sheng Thao announced Mitchell’s hiring Friday, capping a 13-month search to replace LeRonne Armstrong, whom the mayor fired for his handling of an Oakland Police Department cover-up scandal. Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024 According to prosecutors, correctional officers found Collazo-Prieto with more than 50 grams of cocaine, divided among 21 plastic baggies, and one larger, unsealed plastic bag, also containing cocaine during a routine search at the correctional institution. Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2024 Police launched a massive search into his disappearance, including checking hospitals and jails and pinging his phone. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 Police quickly launched a search for the woman, with local, state and federal authorities getting involved. Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024 The intense search for inmate Syklar Meade and his alleged escape accomplish Nicholas Umphenour ended on Thursday, as the two were arrested by authorities in Twin Falls, Idaho — 130 miles away from the scene of the brazen shootout that left 3 officers injured. Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024 The United Cajun Navy, a volunteer disaster relief organization, has also participated in the search. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'search.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English cerchen, from Anglo-French cercher, sercher to travel about, investigate, search, from Late Latin circare to go about, from Latin circum round about — more at circum-

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of search was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near search

Cite this Entry

“Search.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/search. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

search

1 of 2 verb
1
a
: to go through or look carefully and thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
search a room
search for a lost child
b
: to look in the pockets or the clothing of for something hidden
search an arrested person
2
: to find or come to know by or as if by careful investigation or examination
usually used with out
3
: to use a computer to find information in (as a database, network, or website)
searcher noun
searchingly adverb

search

2 of 2 noun
: an act of searching : an attempt to get, find, or seek out

Legal Definition

search

1 of 2 noun
1
: an exploratory investigation (as of an area or person) by a government agent that intrudes on an individual's reasonable expectation of privacy and is conducted usually for the purpose of finding evidence of unlawful activity or guilt or to locate a person
warrantless searches are invalid unless they fall within narrowly drawn exceptionsState v. Mahone, 701 P.2d 171 (1985)
see also exigent circumstances, plain view sense 2, probable cause at cause sense 2, reasonable suspicion, search warrant at warrant compare seizure

Note: The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits unreasonable searches and requires that a warrant may issue only upon probable cause and that the warrant must particularly describe the place to be searched. Some searches, such as a search incident to an arrest, have been held to be valid without a warrant.

administrative search
: an inspection or search carried out under a regulatory or statutory scheme especially in public or commercial premises and usually to enforce compliance with regulations or laws pertaining to health, safety, or security one of the fundamental principles of administrative searches is that the government may not use an administrative inspection scheme as a pretext to search for evidence of criminal violationsPeople v. Madison, 520 N.E.2d 374 (1988)

called also administrative inspection, inspection, regulatory search

see also probable cause at cause sense 2

Note: The U.S. Supreme Court held in Camara v. Municipal Court, 387 U.S. 523 (1967), that a reasonable administrative search may be conducted upon a showing of probable cause which is less stringent than that required for a search incident to a criminal investigation. The Court stated that the reasonableness of the search can only be determined by “balancing the need to search against the invasion which the search entails.” Cases following Camara have stated that the probable cause requirement is fulfilled by showing that the search meets reasonable administrative standards established in a nonarbitrary regulatory scheme.

border search
: a search made of a person upon crossing into the U.S. at a border or its equivalent (as the airport at which the person arrives in the U.S.)

Note: Probable cause is not required for a border search.

consent search
: a warrantless search conducted upon the voluntarily given consent of a person having authority over the place or things to be searched
inventory search
: a warrantless search (as of an impounded automobile) conducted for the purpose of placing personal property in safekeeping to prevent loss of the property and claims against police for such loss
protective search
: a search (as a frisk) conducted by a law enforcement officer for the purpose of ensuring against threats to safety (as from a concealed weapon) or sometimes to prevent the destruction of evidence
regulatory search
: administrative search in this entry
shakedown search \ ˈshāk-​ˌdau̇n-​ \
: a search for illicit or contraband material (as weapons or drugs) in prisoners' cells that is usually random and warrantless

Note: In Hudson v. Palmer, 468 U.S. 517 (1984), the U.S. Supreme Court held that Fourth Amendment protections do not extend to searches of prisoners' cells.

strip search
: a search for something concealed on a person conducted after removal of the person's clothing
2
: an act of boarding and inspecting a ship on the high seas in exercise of the right to do so under international law (as in time of war)
3
: an examination of a public record or registry see also title search

search

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to conduct a search of
search the premises
search a person
search a title

intransitive verb

: to conduct a search
search for drugs in a school locker
searcher noun

More from Merriam-Webster on search

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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