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
1
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
2
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
Mariangela Lisanti, Twin Cities, 27 Mar. 2026
Researchers calculated the average number of monthly searches per state and adjusted the data per 100,000 residents.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
Of course, a teenager doesn’t make those calculations or consider the cost behind her searches.
—Krys Fluker, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
The group published on its website several photos of Patel that do not appear to have previously been made public, according to an NBC News review through several reverse-image searches.
—Sean Nevin, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026
According to figures shared Friday, 46,000, or 36%, of those registered as disappeared had missing data like names and dates that made searches impossible.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
He was arrested on a weapon charge following the searches.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
Both Jaynes and Meany were accused by the Justice Department of aiding and abetting the deprivation of Taylor's Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Homicide investigators dug up the pile but, like with the other searches, found nothing that could lead to a resolution of the mystery.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2026
Maya Davis, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
The report reveals that searches for DIY home décor were up 79 percent year over year.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
Paul Chong, the commissioner of city records, will work as acting head of the elections department while the city searches for a permanent commissioner, the mayor’s office said.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile at Standard Life, the insurer’s capital markets head Nuwan Goonetilleke will become its interim CIO as the company searches for a permanent successor to Eakins.
—Leonard Kehnscherper, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026
Attorneys and staff are taking on higher caseloads while Legal Aid’s executive director searches for funding to fill the gap, but donations are down across the board.
—Maddy Keyes, The Frontier, 5 Mar. 2026
Google searches about symptoms.
—Sam Woodward, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Instagram’s new update will alert parents if their child searches for terms associated with suicide or self-harm.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 26 Feb. 2026
Loeb leads the Galileo Project, which searches for artifacts from extraterrestrial civilizations near Earth.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Noun
But after the Higgs discovery, the particle physics headlines went quiet again, with searches for other hypothesized particles yielding the sigh-inducing null result.
—Mariangela Lisanti, Twin Cities, 27 Mar. 2026
Researchers calculated the average number of monthly searches per state and adjusted the data per 100,000 residents.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
Of course, a teenager doesn’t make those calculations or consider the cost behind her searches.
—Krys Fluker, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
The group published on its website several photos of Patel that do not appear to have previously been made public, according to an NBC News review through several reverse-image searches.
—Sean Nevin, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026
According to figures shared Friday, 46,000, or 36%, of those registered as disappeared had missing data like names and dates that made searches impossible.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
He was arrested on a weapon charge following the searches.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
Both Jaynes and Meany were accused by the Justice Department of aiding and abetting the deprivation of Taylor's Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Homicide investigators dug up the pile but, like with the other searches, found nothing that could lead to a resolution of the mystery.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
In Dallas — which is hosting more matches than any other US city — searches for housing options are up 230% from last summer, according to the Expedia data from January.
—Maya Davis, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
The report reveals that searches for DIY home décor were up 79 percent year over year.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
Paul Chong, the commissioner of city records, will work as acting head of the elections department while the city searches for a permanent commissioner, the mayor’s office said.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile at Standard Life, the insurer’s capital markets head Nuwan Goonetilleke will become its interim CIO as the company searches for a permanent successor to Eakins.
—Leonard Kehnscherper, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026
Attorneys and staff are taking on higher caseloads while Legal Aid’s executive director searches for funding to fill the gap, but donations are down across the board.
—Maddy Keyes, The Frontier, 5 Mar. 2026
Google searches about symptoms.
—Sam Woodward, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Instagram’s new update will alert parents if their child searches for terms associated with suicide or self-harm.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 26 Feb. 2026
Loeb leads the Galileo Project, which searches for artifacts from extraterrestrial civilizations near Earth.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for searches
Noun
-
Wondering why Easter is celebrated with egg hunts?—
Catherine Messier,
The Providence Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
-
More than 15,000 eggs dotted the grounds of Sunset Woods Park on Saturday for four back-to-back Easter egg hunts sponsored by the Park District of Highland Park.—
Karie Angell Luc,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 Adventure finds you through familiar friends.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Jimmy walks into his mentor's home and finds Ducky dead, peacefully in his sleep.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Big horizons meet daily realities as the instinctive Moon explores your pensive 9th house and squares Jupiter in your sensible 6th house.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Cheri Radke’s cozy fantasy debut explores impostor syndrome by way of an unusual succession crisis on the Isle of Summer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Nell O’Dell’s family owns the inn that stands at the Golden Crossroads, the place where all proper magical quests must begin.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The characters in the trailer are all on separate side quests, coming together occasionally for complete chaos.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The model scans 10-by-10-meter squares of land to determine whether poppies are present by their telltale orange color.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
As the newest addition to the lineup, the Echo Dot Max focuses on high-fidelity audio that scans your room to optimize playback for your specific space.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hubble's images help track seasonal changes, while Webb's infrared vision probes different atmospheric layers.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
-
With a different school as the backdrop for each chapter, the series probes the ambitions, secrets, and corruptions that fester within institutions.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The panel combs through a variety of influences like film and TV production; art, fashion and design trends; new technologies, materials, textures; and even social media or upcoming sporting events.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Hawks prospects Anton Frondell and Sacha Boisvert are expected to debut on the team’s upcoming road trip, which starts at the New York Islanders on March 24.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
-
In Saturday’s Spring Breakout game, some of the Braves’ top prospects beat a team of Yankees prospects 8-3 at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Searches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/searches. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
