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
Greg Hilburn, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
The move had its genesis in Ramón Laureano getting a day off and the search for something.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
Treasurer Richard Cain allegedly searched for donations that had been classified as restricted to certain purposes but could be reclassified as unrestricted, without consulting with the finance committee or auditors.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for search
Noun
The massive search that followed spanned several months and multiple states, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
—Greg Hilburn, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
The move had its genesis in Ramón Laureano getting a day off and the search for something.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
Paradoxes and Doubt The late 1800s were a time of paradoxes and doubt, the result of mathematicians beginning to search for cohesive ideas about what rules the mathematical universe obeyed.
—Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
Treasurer Richard Cain allegedly searched for donations that had been classified as restricted to certain purposes but could be reclassified as unrestricted, without consulting with the finance committee or auditors.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for search
Recent Examples of Synonyms for search
Noun
-
Two bank employees were shot and killed during a robbery at a Kentucky bank on Thursday and police are still on the hunt for the suspect.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
-
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are mismatched detectives on the hunt for a madman enacting crimes in the style of the seven deadly sins.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Arttu Hyry has been terrific since entering the lineup for Game 2, but his third line hasn’t found the back of the net.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Ease off the accelerator - Step off the gas to slow down the vehicle until the tires find traction.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Over the past decade, Pau has created a series of media installations about the bauhinia, exploring different methods of rendering scientific data as sound and light.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
-
Looking ahead, Farzad said multiple carriers are likely to bid for pieces of Spirit rather than the whole company, including Frontier Airlines and JetBlue, both of which had previously explored deals.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
It’s been an eventful month for Ryan Day, Ohio State football and the school’s quest to regroup for another College Football Playoff run.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Bonaguidi finished with an assist but couldn’t add to her career total of 97 goals in the quest to reach the century mark.—
Glae Thien,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora curated the mobile interactive mural exhibit, which evolved from the existing murals seen in Overtown that highlight the neighborhood’s history, and include a QR code for visitors to scan and learn about the stories behind them.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Another scans the competitive landscape every few hours.—
Mukund Jha,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Detectives located him by following the meandering path of laundry, sent to him by his wife, via multiple messengers.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Pluto, a frigid mountainous world with craters and glaciers, is located among icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt, located at the outskirts of our solar system beyond Neptune's orbit – now the farthest planet from the sun.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The day after a man opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, authorities are combing through a message sent by the shooting suspect, seeking to understand what allegedly led him from his life as a respected California teacher to a would-be assassin.—
Alayna Treene,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Investigators are now combing through a hotel room at the Washington Hilton.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
No one was in custody, and detectives were investigating.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Prosecutors investigated allegations that both her 2011 and 2016 campaigns had received undisclosed funds from the Brazilian company Odebrecht.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Search.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/search. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
