search

1 of 4

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 4

noun (1)

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

searcer

3 of 4

noun (2)

searc·​er

-sər

variants or less commonly searcher

-chə(r)

plural -s

archaic

: sieve

searcher

4 of 4

noun (3)

search·​er

-chə(r)

plural -s

1

: one that searches

a searcher after knowledge

2

: a person (as an inspector, looker, tracer) employed to search: such as

a

: a guild official formerly functioning as an inspector to maintain standards of workmanship and quality

b

: an officer of the customs who examines (as ships, merchandise, luggage) for dutiable goods or contraband

c

archaic British : coroner

d(1)

archaic : a civil officer appointed to observe and report objectionable conduct

(2)

: a minor police officer appointed to search persons arrested

e

: a person employed (as by a title insurance company) to search public records

f

: a kosher examiner who looks for evidence of contamination in freshly killed animals

3

: an implement (as a probe) used in searching : seeker

4

: a large metallic blue-green North American ground beetle (Calosoma scrutator) that feeds on caterpillars

Synonyms of search

Verb

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

Noun (1)

• 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 (1)

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

Haley Williams, a spokesperson for the police department, told the Idaho Statesman in a text message that officers are searching the area for the driver of the vehicle who fled the scene. — Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 23 June 2026

To better understand what drives a young person to commit these crimes, CNN spent months searching for prior offenders willing to speak about their experience. — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 22 June 2026

Noun

Conservative critics seized upon those allegations, accusing Hosseini of exerting outsized influence over UF’s presidential search process and questioning whether trustees had exercised independent judgment in selecting Bell. — Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026

In fact, many of us often end up buying things that our colleagues found during their search. — Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 24 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-

Noun (3)

Middle English serchere, from serchen to search + -ere -er

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun (1)

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