search

1 of 2

verb

searched; searching; searches

transitive verb

1
: to look into or over carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something: such as
a
: to examine in seeking something
searched the north field
b
: to look through or explore by inspecting possible places of concealment or investigating suspicious circumstances
c
: to read thoroughly : check
especially : to examine a public record or register for information about
search land titles
d
: to examine for articles concealed on the person
e
: to look at as if to discover or penetrate intention or nature
2
: to uncover, find, or come to know by inquiry or scrutiny
usually used with out

intransitive verb

1
: to look or inquire carefully
searched for the papers
2
: to make painstaking investigation or examination
searchability noun
searchable adjective
searcher noun
searchingly adverb

search

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an act of searching
a search for food
go in search of help
b
: an act of boarding and inspecting a ship on the high seas in exercise of right of search
2
obsolete : a party that searches
3
: power or range of penetrating
also : a penetrating effect

Examples of search in a Sentence

Verb They haven't found him yet, so they have to keep searching. The police searched her for concealed weapons. He was searched by the guard before he was allowed to enter the courtroom. The software allows you to search thousands of sites at the same time. She searched for information on the Web. He searched her face, hoping to see some glimmer of emotion. Noun We will begin a search for a new manager this week. I performed a search for the file. I did a Web search for restaurants in that area.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Oxford High dean: No reason to search the student's backpack Jurors also heard from Nicholas Ejak, the former dean of students at Oxford High School who also met with the Crumbleys on the morning before the shooting about their son's troubling drawing. Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024 The church is searching for an executive pastor, a missions pastor and a youth pastor, a representative of the personnel committee said at the meeting with members on March 3. Frank E. Lockwood, arkansasonline.com, 10 Mar. 2024 That’s left the tax bill as the odd man out, as Wyden searches for another piece of legislation on which the tax provisions could hitch a ride before mid-April. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 In early 2017, federal agents searched and seized records from several Caterpillar buildings in and around Peoria as part of the investigation. Jesse Drucker, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 The resource page does not recommend searching for eclipse glasses on Amazon, eBay, Temu or any other online marketplace and buying from whichever vendor offers the lowest price. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 The graduates are now eligible for flight assignments, and NASA is searching for a new round of astronaut candidates. Marcus Reichley, The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 The idea of third places as potential work environments became popular as the pandemic dragged on, when desk workers searched for a middle ground between being cooped up at home all day, and returning to offices that no longer felt relevant. Trey Williams, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 The school was evacuated out of an abundance of caution but the all-clear was given after authorities searched the campus, St. Louis said. Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024
Noun
The Kid doesn’t take down Rana the first time, which leads him to become the focus of an intense police search. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 The police search for a serial murderer, while locals harbor suspicions that a mythical, leopard-like creature is responsible for the disappearances. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024 Detective describes search for James and Jennifer Crumbley David Hendrick, who was sergeant of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office fugitive apprehension team at the time of the shooting, testified his team was asked on Dec. 2, 2021, to locate James and Jennifer Crumbley. Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024 Some might even prefer to go on a lengthy search for a leprechaun and its pot of gold, or almost as difficult, go hunting for shamrocks and four-leaf clovers. Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Mar. 2024 Later in the search, side scan solar technology located Marin and divers retrieved her. Dylan Wickman, The Arizona Republic, 11 Mar. 2024 Police launched a search of the area and the suspect was arrested near the scene shortly after the attack. Kate Brady, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 Authorities have searched for the boy using helicopters, drones and search-and-rescue dogs, WSMV reports. Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 Much of the prosecution’s evidence delved into a number of internet searches Alvarez made after the engagement was announced. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'search.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English cerchen, from Anglo-French cercher, sercher to travel about, investigate, search, from Late Latin circare to go about, from Latin circum round about — more at circum-

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of search was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near search

Cite this Entry

“Search.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/search. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

search

1 of 2 verb
1
a
: to go through or look carefully and thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something
search a room
search for a lost child
b
: to look in the pockets or the clothing of for something hidden
search an arrested person
2
: to find or come to know by or as if by careful investigation or examination
usually used with out
3
: to use a computer to find information in (as a database, network, or website)
searcher noun
searchingly adverb

search

2 of 2 noun
: an act of searching : an attempt to get, find, or seek out

Legal Definition

search

1 of 2 noun
1
: an exploratory investigation (as of an area or person) by a government agent that intrudes on an individual's reasonable expectation of privacy and is conducted usually for the purpose of finding evidence of unlawful activity or guilt or to locate a person
warrantless searches are invalid unless they fall within narrowly drawn exceptionsState v. Mahone, 701 P.2d 171 (1985)
see also exigent circumstances, plain view sense 2, probable cause at cause sense 2, reasonable suspicion, search warrant at warrant compare seizure

Note: The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits unreasonable searches and requires that a warrant may issue only upon probable cause and that the warrant must particularly describe the place to be searched. Some searches, such as a search incident to an arrest, have been held to be valid without a warrant.

administrative search
: an inspection or search carried out under a regulatory or statutory scheme especially in public or commercial premises and usually to enforce compliance with regulations or laws pertaining to health, safety, or security one of the fundamental principles of administrative searches is that the government may not use an administrative inspection scheme as a pretext to search for evidence of criminal violationsPeople v. Madison, 520 N.E.2d 374 (1988)

called also administrative inspection, inspection, regulatory search

see also probable cause at cause sense 2

Note: The U.S. Supreme Court held in Camara v. Municipal Court, 387 U.S. 523 (1967), that a reasonable administrative search may be conducted upon a showing of probable cause which is less stringent than that required for a search incident to a criminal investigation. The Court stated that the reasonableness of the search can only be determined by “balancing the need to search against the invasion which the search entails.” Cases following Camara have stated that the probable cause requirement is fulfilled by showing that the search meets reasonable administrative standards established in a nonarbitrary regulatory scheme.

border search
: a search made of a person upon crossing into the U.S. at a border or its equivalent (as the airport at which the person arrives in the U.S.)

Note: Probable cause is not required for a border search.

consent search
: a warrantless search conducted upon the voluntarily given consent of a person having authority over the place or things to be searched
inventory search
: a warrantless search (as of an impounded automobile) conducted for the purpose of placing personal property in safekeeping to prevent loss of the property and claims against police for such loss
protective search
: a search (as a frisk) conducted by a law enforcement officer for the purpose of ensuring against threats to safety (as from a concealed weapon) or sometimes to prevent the destruction of evidence
regulatory search
: administrative search in this entry
shakedown search \ ˈshāk-​ˌdau̇n-​ \
: a search for illicit or contraband material (as weapons or drugs) in prisoners' cells that is usually random and warrantless

Note: In Hudson v. Palmer, 468 U.S. 517 (1984), the U.S. Supreme Court held that Fourth Amendment protections do not extend to searches of prisoners' cells.

strip search
: a search for something concealed on a person conducted after removal of the person's clothing
2
: an act of boarding and inspecting a ship on the high seas in exercise of the right to do so under international law (as in time of war)
3
: an examination of a public record or registry see also title search

search

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to conduct a search of
search the premises
search a person
search a title

intransitive verb

: to conduct a search
search for drugs in a school locker
searcher noun

More from Merriam-Webster on search

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