search

1 of 3

verb

ˈsərch 

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

ˌsər-chə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

searchable

ˈsər-chə-bəl 

adjective

searcher noun

searchingly

ˈsər-chiŋ-lē 

adverb

search

2 of 3

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

searchable

3 of 3

adjective

search·​able ˈsər-chə-bəl 

: capable of being searched or of being found by searching

Some departments have created slick, professional sites packed full of daily alerts and searchable collections of their reports going back years.

—Clive Thompson, New York Times Magazine, 3 Dec. 2006

… an index to the searchable words or phrases in each record in a database.

—Carol Tenopir, 60 Principles and Applications of Information Science, 1989

searchability

ˌsər-chə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

Although they look more like "real" journals, the trade-off with image files is the loss of searchability that … text provides.

—Carol Tenopir, Library Journal, 1 Apr. 1994

Synonyms of search

Verb

• find
• scan
• locate
• comb
• investigate
• survey
• explore
• examine
• scour

Noun

• hunt
• quest

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

Rescue teams began searching for the daredevil and found his body about three feet below the crater's water surface after rescue efforts that lasted about four and a half hours. —Adam England, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026

Across the country, workers who once expected to rely entirely on traditional employment are now searching for something more stable, flexible, and lasting. —Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 15 June 2026

Noun

The Coast Guard and partner search and rescue crews looked for him by air and sea, covering around 529 square miles, the statement said. —Sofia Saric june 16, Miami Herald, 17 June 2026

During a search of O'Brien's apartment, charges say officers found three different pistols. —Wcco Staff, CBS News, 17 June 2026

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

Phrases Containing search

• in search of
• search and rescue team
• search engine
• search me
• search out
• search party
• search warrant
• skin search
• strip search

Rhymes for search

• birch
• lurch
• perch
• interchurch
• research

Kids Definition

search

1 of 2 verb

ˈsərch 

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

ˈsər-chiŋ-lē 

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 exceptions

—State 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 violations

—People 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