1
as in to find
to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
archaeologists have begun to search the southern end of the valley, where they believe the underground tombs are located
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to explore
to go into or range over for purposes of discovery
the Spanish conquistadors searched vast areas of the Southwest in their quest for the fabled cities of gold
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of search
Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 25 June 2025
This question is accompanied by a large box to type in, that seems intentionally designed to elicit queries that are longer than just a simple keyword search.
—Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 25 June 2025
Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 25 June 2025
While searching for the wreckage from 2005 to 2013, the nonprofit found nine shipwrecks, but not Flight 2501.
—CBS News, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for search
Noun
Following a six-hour-long search, the man – who authorities have not identified – was located and subsequently carried out of the woods on a stretcher, police said.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 25 June 2025
This question is accompanied by a large box to type in, that seems intentionally designed to elicit queries that are longer than just a simple keyword search.
—Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 25 June 2025
Verb
But the Israel-Iran conflict − and Trump's decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites − has scrambled the high-stakes meeting as world leaders search for an endgame to the 12-day air war that's killed hundreds of people in Iran and dozens in Israel.
—Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 25 June 2025
While searching for the wreckage from 2005 to 2013, the nonprofit found nine shipwrecks, but not Flight 2501.
—CBS News, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for search
Recent Examples of Synonyms for search
Noun
-
Because too many deer in Arkansas can be harmful to the environment and even to the deer herd itself, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, partnered with other organizations, are having their annual urban archery deer hunt this fall in a select number of communities.—
Harley Walls,
Arkansas Online,
29 June 2025
-
As the Catholic archdiocese hunts for ways to contract, it’s been shedding churches wholesale and having no trouble finding buyers that are tuned to the doings — or undoing — of religious organizations.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
There, a tactical response team found a man lying dead with a weapon nearby, whom authorities believe was the shooter.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
1 July 2025
-
If finding indoor shelter is not an option: Steer clear of open fields, hilltops, or ridge tops.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
30 June 2025
Verb
-
Companies that stop exploring eventually watch others in their field eat their lunch.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
-
Integrating Information and Imaging the Brain Another way to explore the development of consciousness is to check for brain activity associated with this state in adulthood with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).—
Christian Wolf,
Scientific American,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
World champions Spain’s quest for their first Euros title begins in Group B, where they are joined by Portugal, Belgium and Italy.—
Neel Shelat,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
-
Some media reports have pushed back on the Trump administration’s claims that the sites were destroyed and set Iran back years in its quest to achieve a nuclear weapon.—
Stephen Sorace , Anders Hagstrom,
FOXNews.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Victor’s characters were magnetically awkward, their address was intimate and direct, and their creator scanned as a pretty weirdo with a tap on the discourse and on the possibilities of the contemporary internet.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
29 June 2025
-
Researchers with the organization scanned 700 miles of Lake Michigan using sonar technology and used models to recreate the weather patterns that Flight 2501 would have encountered the night of the crash.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
28 June 2025
Verb
-
Bentley Residences will be located on Miami's Sunny Isles Beach.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 June 2025
-
The Hunter Woods subdivision would be located near the $1 billion Microsoft data center that is going to be built there.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2025
Verb
-
The event is the culmination of a monthslong production by wedding planners and, very likely, by teams of lawyers who have combed through the couple’s complex finances to create an ironclad prenuptial agreement.—
Alicia Adamczyk,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
-
Personnel from the sheriff’s dive and search-and-rescue teams combed the area in search of the missing trio, with assistance from the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Technical Rescue Team.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
The national police Anti-Cybercrime Group is currently investigating another deepfake of Marcos promoting an online trading platform.—
Cecilia Hult,
Fortune,
28 June 2025
-
So Almonte, 23, who also needed to see a doctor, investigated her employer's health offerings.—
Renuka Rayasam,
NPR,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Search.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/search. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share