search 1 of 2

noun

Definition of searchnext
as in hunt
an act or process of looking carefully or thoroughly for someone or something the search for the missing hikers lasted several days

Synonyms & Similar Words

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search

2 of 2

verb

ˈsərch How to pronounce search (audio)
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
Noun
The Court has ruled that privacy laws must protect against widespread searches of phone location data — a decision that could prove to have a monumental impact on future Fourth Amendment cases. — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 2 July 2026 The search for machine consciousness has gone mainstream, and companies such as Google, Meta and OpenAI are hiring philosophers to explore questions about AI welfare. — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 2 July 2026
Verb
In Gaza City, a Palestinian man continues to search for the remains of his 26-year-old son, who was killed in an Israeli strike nine months ago. — Bilal Shbeir, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026 During the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when people rushed to stock up on necessities, such as toilet paper, hoarders already had extras while others searched empty store shelves. — Shivali H. Patra, Mercury News, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for search
Recent Examples of Synonyms for search
  1. hunt
  2. find
  3. explore
  4. quest
  5. scan
  6. locate
  7. comb
  8. investigate
Noun
  • The president has elevated MAGA-friendly election deniers into the federal government, sicced the Justice Department on his political enemies, and drafted multiple agencies into his relentless hunt to substantiate his broad claims of voter fraud.
    — Toluse Olorunnipa, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026
  • By every metric, Blubaugh is blossoming into an almost indispensable piece of the Astros’ attempt to stay afloat in the American League playoff hunt.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of hunt
Verb
  • Gas stations across Russia are imposing limits on purchases, CNN’s analysis found, with fuel- tracking websites popping up to guide drivers to the best spots to fill up.
    — Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • The incident happened less than a week after another child was found dead inside a car at a Plantation early learning center last Monday.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
Definition of find
Verb
  • Baby Carrie has not been born yet at the start of the series, in part so the show could explore pioneer pregnancy and childbirth.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • By Jessica Kim, Bloomberg British Columbia is exploring legal action against OpenAI for its failure to alert authorities to threats made on ChatGPT before the February mass shooting in the town of Tumbler Ridge.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
Definition of explore
Noun
  • Australian actress Catherine Lagaʻaia stars as the 16-year-old title wayfinder, who ventures beyond the reef on an epic quest to save her home island of Motunui.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 July 2026
  • Gables resident and activist Bonnie Bolton has led the charge against the development in a quest to save the garden and large trees on the property.
    — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026
Definition of quest
Verb
  • People are instructed to scan the QR link on the letter that will lead them to a list of available appointments to reschedule their test.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Agents then referred the vehicle for a secondary inspection and used X-ray equipment to scan the truck and trailer.
    — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Definition of scan
Verb
  • The incident happened Friday in Yountville, an unincorporated town located 43 miles north of San Francisco.
    — Jason Green, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
  • The annual memorial, organized by Castile’s mother, Valerie Castile, took place Monday night at the Philando Castile Peace Garden, located outside the north entrance to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
    — Tyler Quattrin, Twin Cities, 7 July 2026
Definition of locate
Verb
  • When the time came for the Southern Living staff to begin the process of combing through 60 years of recipes, we were each randomly assigned a couple of issues from various years.
    — Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 8 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, Dondi’s son and son-in-law kept combing the flood area for objects, as did her husband, who also transported bins of things back to the warehouse and coached volunteers.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of comb
Verb
  • Counties investigate these cases, and officials acknowledge that fraud exists, but neither the state nor local property appraisers publish verifiable statewide fraud statistics.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 July 2026
  • The incident, which authorities are investigating, occurred 30 nautical miles (around 55 kilometers) southwest of Yemen’s Red Sea port of Al Hudaydah, UKMTO said.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Definition of investigate

Phrases Containing search

Browse Nearby Words

sear
search
searched
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Cite this Entry

“Search.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/search. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of search for Spanish Speakers

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