What does "search" mean?
An attempt to find something.
Search
/sɜːt͡ʃ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An attempt to find something.
- Grammar: search is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: hunt, lookup, seek, analysis.
- Useful contrasts: avoid internet, disregard, hide.
- Usage evidence: More than 90 percent of visits to a web page are from search engines.
How to use "search"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "search" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "search" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "search" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "search" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "search" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hunt" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "search", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An attempt to find something. countable, uncountable
"With only five minutes until we were meant to leave, the search for the keys started in earnest."
- 2 an investigation seeking answers wordnet
- 3 The act of searching in general. countable, uncountable
"Search is a hard problem for computers to solve efficiently."
- 4 boarding and inspecting a ship on the high seas wordnet
- 5 the activity of looking thoroughly in order to find something or someone wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 the examination of alternative hypotheses wordnet
- 7 an operation that determines whether one or more of a set of items has a specified property wordnet
Verb
- 1 To look in (a place) for something. transitive
"I searched the garden for the keys and found them in the vegetable patch."
- 2 inquire into wordnet
- 3 To look thoroughly. intransitive
"The police are searching for evidence in his flat."
- 4 try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of wordnet
- 5 To look for, seek. archaic, transitive
"To search the God of loue, her Nymphes she sent / Throughout the wandring forrest euery where[…]."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 subject to a search wordnet
- 7 To put a phrase into a search engine, especially one besides Google. transitive
"I searched "Paris Hilton" and found lots of unflattering stories."
- 8 search or seek wordnet
- 9 To probe or examine (a wound). obsolete, transitive
"Now torne we to the xj kynges that retorned vnto a cyte that hyghte Sorhaute / the whiche cyte was within kynge Vryens / and ther they refresshed hem as wel as they myght / and made leches serche theyr woundys and sorowed gretely for the dethe of her peple"
- 10 To examine; to try; to put to the test. obsolete
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"More than 90 percent of visits to a web page are from search engines."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "search"?
Common synonyms include: hunt, lookup, seek, analysis, angle for, anneal.
How do you use "search" in a sentence?
More than 90 percent of visits to a web page are from search engines.
How do you pronounce "search"?
Pronounced /sɜːt͡ʃ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English serchen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman sercher, Old French cerchier, from Late Latin circō, circāre (“to circle; go around; search for”), from Latin circa, circus. Not related to German suchen, which is cognate with English seek.
Etymology 2
Variant of Surridge.