SEARCHING Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

searching

verb

present participle of search

as in combing

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in exploring

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 searching The Steelers sent a second-round pick to Seattle for Metcalf after years of searching for a top wideout. — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 The move is another surprising one in a season where the Current are searching for consistency under first-year head coach Chris Armas. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 7 Sep. 2026 Five days later, agents allegedly watched Singh leave the restaurant and drive to his home before searching both properties. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026 Police had been searching for Donna and Gregory Witte this week after Donna Witte's father filed a missing person report with the Hot Springs Police Department on Monday, records show. — Arkansas Online, 5 Sep. 2026 That makes the research less like searching a catalog for the right material and more like figuring out the rules for building one. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026 For workers who have already spent months searching, the slow pace is taking a toll. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026 While searching for a message to share with his team this week, Frost found inspiration from the handful of games that were played this weekend as part of Week 0. — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026 But those survivors, who each have harrowing stories of their own, are still searching for answers about their still missing friends, coworkers, and family members. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for searching

Verb

In time, national security institutions were routinely vacuuming up ordinary police information, and local law enforcement officers were combing through federal intelligence.

— Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026
Comella started combing the pile, picking up light debris, trying to get surface victims.

— Peter Wilkinson, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of combing

Verb

Somewhere along the way, she’s found joy in exploring complicated, messy characters.

— Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
The two companies will first focus on the joint feasibility study before exploring potential large-scale commercial opportunities.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2026

Definition of exploring

Verb

Traders positioned watchmen along the shoreline, scanning the horizon for incoming vessels.

— Brian Lund, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026
Within hours of an employee scanning my driver’s license, a high-resolution scan of my ID was available for sale on the dark web.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of scanning

Verb

Gate agents told the magazine officers have asked for help identifying or locating passengers as well as for access to internal information and even to restricted areas like jet bridges and aircraft.

— Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2026
There were real successes, such as locating Osama bin Laden in 2011 and destroying his group, al-Qaida, and later, dismantling the Islamic State.

— Greg Myre, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of locating

Verb

Authorities began investigating him again after an anonymous tip came in on March 19, shortly after his release from a juvenile detention facility.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026
By 2009, the task force was investigating nearly 300 reports of animal abuse and neglect a year.

— Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of investigating

Verb

By scouring countless Reddit threads, the company was able to compile a list of the most controversial decor trends, and you might be surprised by what made the list.

— Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Aug. 2026
Search aircraft and ships on Tuesday were scouring the area where the cargo ship MV Ocean Winner reportedly sunk Saturday about 276 miles (444 kilometers) from the Paradip coast of India's eastern Odisha state.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026