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SaySURCH/sɝt͡ʃ/UK/sɜːt͡ʃ/

Pluralsearches

Verbsearches, searching, searched

7 meanings of search

Practice

  1. 1
    nouncountable or uncountable
    When you look carefully for someone or something, or try hard to find it.

    After a long search, we found the cat under the porch.

    The police started a search for the lost boy.

    UsageSay a search for someone, or go in search of something.

  2. 2
    look throughverbtransitive
    To look carefully through a place, or someone's clothes and bags, to find something.

    Like looking under every cushion and behind every door to find a coin you dropped.

    The guard searched him and found a knife in his coat pocket.

    We need to search the whole house for her lost ring.

    UsageSay search a room for something.

    Similarcomb, scour, examine, inspect, explore

  3. 3
    look up onlineverbtransitive
    To type words into a search engine or website to find information about them.

    I searched my symptoms online before I called the doctor.

    Just search the recipe on DuckDuckGo and pick one.

    UsageSay search the recipe, or just google it.

  4. 4
    verbintransitive
    To look hard for someone or something that you want to find.

    Can you help me search for my phone?

    We searched for our cat all afternoon.

    Similarlook, hunt

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 5
    verbarchaictransitive
    To look for something, with the thing you want placed right after the verb, as in old writing.
    Anough is left besides to search and know.
    1667, John Milton, Paradise LostHere, search means to look for, so there is enough left to look for.
    For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
    1611, The Holy Bible, King James Version
    Note
  2. 6
    verbobsolete
    To test or examine something closely.
    Note
  3. 7
    verbobsoletetransitive
    To probe or check a wound to see how bad it is.
    Now to the bottome dost thou search my wound.
    c. 1588, William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”Here, search means to probe a wound to see how deep it is.
    Note

Practice

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Origin

It came through Middle English and Old French from a Late Latin word meaning 'to go around' or 'search for', linked to Latin words for 'circle'.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts