SEARCHES Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

searches 1 of 2

noun

plural of search

as in hunts

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

Relevance

searches

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of search

as in finds

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

as in explores

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 searches

Noun

Coaching searches are, at best, farcical, the truth lying somewhere between fans’ fanatical wishes, reported contacts and actual interviews. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026 After the propulsion stages complete their work, the kill vehicle separates and searches for the target. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026 Bridgerton and The Gilded Age sparked measurable spikes in searches for corsets, empire-waist dresses, and opera gloves. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026 Many critics are concerned about warrantless searches, and beyond the reports of law enforcement stalking, there’s risk that third-party assailants could hack into live camera feeds and stored data. — Andrew Zucker, Vanity Fair, 14 Aug. 2026 The cameras can help investigators track suspects and find missing people, but reports of unauthorized searches and concerns about warrantless surveillance have prompted backlash across the country. — Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2026 Customers will also be allowed to decide which offense types — such as homicide or arson — outside agencies can search their data for, which would allow a customer to block outside searches related to immigration enforcement, the company said. — Sarah Rankin, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026 Reports that federal immigration enforcement agencies have accessed Flock data, dozens of officers have abused the system to stalk women, and police have logged hundreds of searches related to protest activity sparked successive waves of backlash. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 Later versions supported natural language-style searches and gave users the sense that the web could finally be approached as an indexable whole, even if the results were still rough around the edges. — Alan Bradley, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026

Verb

This transfer leaves more than 20 lions and tigers at Luján while Four Paws searches for their long-term homes. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 Ser Roxton finds Ormund’s corpse, while Gwayne searches among the rubble and ash for young Daeron. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Miquel desperately searches for her in the freezing conditions, plumbing new depths of self-discovery in the process. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026 Even so, the project enters the next stage as the United States searches for reliable domestic uranium supplies, placing its progress under closer industry scrutiny. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Aug. 2026 The receiver room will look much different this season as San Jose State, which went 3-9 last season, searches for new playmakers. — Haddy Barghouti, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026 According to TikTok, searches for #watermelonicecream have gone up by 300% in the past week alone. — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2026 Sill credited the outcome to the community, the volunteers and the dog’s own persistence, and told the outlet that searches like this one frequently end differently. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026 After defeating the shark, Sara searches for another way out of the cave. — Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 29 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for searches

Noun

Nothing invites you to imagine yourself in those thousands of years of summer hunts and trade routes, when the first people of this nation crossed the Continental Divide, rather than the sliver of time represented by the cabins and the falsefronts.

— Téa Obreht, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026
Ormund hunts Ulf down personally and pulls him out of the public latrine with his pants down.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of hunts

Verb

Protas sees plays that others don’t, and finds seams in the offensive zone quickly.

— Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Based on her own troubled adolescence following her father’s suicide, the novel tells the story of Ann, who, after losing her father in tragic circumstances, finds solace – and trouble – in the Manchester music scene of the 1970s and 1980s.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of finds

Verb

Accessible only by boat and completely untouched, CNN’s Leroy Ah Ben explores this gem known mostly to locals.

— Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
With its möbius-strip-esque structure, this surreal social class satire about grief, urban alienation and gentrification in the city of Lagos explores the lost hope of the Nigerian dream.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of explores

Noun

In the lead-up to Halloween, players can also look forward to weekly quests, themed rewards, and seasonal festivities.

— Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
Last time, the story was focused on shutting down the side quests, cutting headcount from over 10,000 to under 6,000 and positioning the company back towards the two businesses that actually make money — Square and Cash App.

— Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of quests

Verb

The moment a trend is approved, the system scans regional mill inventories to identify available stock fabric instantly, cutting days out of traditional sampling cycles.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 12 Aug. 2026
The Rocketbook app scans the pages to popular cloud services, like Dropbox, Google Drive, Slack and One Note.

— BestReviews, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of scans

Verb

The victory comes as Parliament’s standards watchdog probes Farage’s undeclared multimillion-dollar crypto donation and his finances with controversial ally George Cottrell, scrutiny that could yet force him from office.

— Brian Melley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Edwidge Danticat probes the ideas of safety, home, and survival all while examining the consequences of not speaking about one’s pain.

— Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of probes

Verb

Another founder, Sheridan Clayborne, built an AI agent that combs the internet for the best credit card and banking deals, netting him thousands of dollars.

— Margaux MacColl, Vanity Fair, 14 July 2026
Zayas also combs through the dark web, a criminal haven on the internet where anonymous threat actors try to cause real-world harm.

— Heather Abbott, CBS News, 7 June 2026

Definition of combs

Verb

Looking down the line, prospects Bo Davidson and Parks Harber, who are both playing for Triple-A Sacramento, could see some time in the Giants’ outfield down the stretch.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026
Winger prospects Liam Greentree, Brody Lamb, Nathan Aspinall and Jacob Battaglia are all set to turn pro this season.

— Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 28 June 2026