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search
[ surch ]
verb (used with object)
- to go or look through (a place, area, etc.) carefully in order to find something missing or lost:
They searched the woods for the missing child. I searched the desk for the letter.
Synonyms: investigate
- to look at or examine (a person, object, etc.) carefully in order to find something concealed:
He searched the vase for signs of a crack. The police searched the suspect for weapons.
Synonyms: inspect
- to explore or examine in order to discover:
They searched the hills for gold.
- to look at, read, or examine (a record, writing, collection, repository, etc.) for information:
to search a property title; He searched the courthouse for a record of the deed to the land.
- to look at or beneath the superficial aspects of to discover a motive, reaction, feeling, basic truth, etc.:
He searched her face for a clue to her true feelings.
- to look into, question, or scrutinize:
She searched her conscience.
- (of natural elements) to pierce or penetrate:
The sunlight searched the room's dark corners.
- to uncover or find by examination or exploration (often followed by out ):
to search out all the facts.
- Military. to fire artillery over (an area) with successive changes in gun elevation.
- Digital Technology. to electronically retrieve data, web pages, database records, or other information from (files, databases, etc.) by typing relevant terms into a search engine or other search tool:
Most of us have searched the internet for medical advice.
verb (used without object)
- to inquire, investigate, examine, or seek; conduct an examination or investigation.
noun
- the act of searching; careful examination or investigation:
Her date with the guy she met online went badly, so her search for “Mr. Right” continues.
- an instance of this:
Did the search turn up any clues?
Synonyms: scrutiny, inspection
- the practice, on the part of naval officers of a belligerent nation, of boarding and examining a suspected neutral vessel at sea in order to ascertain its true nationality and determine if it is carrying contraband:
the right of visit and search.
- Digital Technology. the act or process of electronically retrieving data, web pages, database records, or other information from files, databases, etc., as in Boolean search keyword search
A search of the article turned up two references to my company.
search
/ sɜːtʃ /
verb
- to look through (a place, records, etc) thoroughly in order to find someone or something
- tr to examine (a person) for concealed objects by running one's hands over the clothing
- to look at or examine (something) closely
to search one's conscience
- trfoll byout to discover by investigation
- surgery
- to explore (a bodily cavity) during a surgical procedure
- to probe (a wound)
- tr military to fire all over (an area)
- computing to review (a file) to locate specific information
- archaic.to penetrate
- search me informal.search me I don't know
noun
- the act or an instance of searching
- the examination of a vessel by the right of search
- computing
- a review of a file to locate specific information
- ( as modifier )
a search routine
- right of searchright of search international law the right possessed by the warships of a belligerent state in time of war to board and search merchant vessels to ascertain whether ship or cargo is liable to seizure
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Derived Forms
- ˈsearchable, adjective
- ˈsearcher, noun
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Other Words From
- searcha·ble adjective
- searcha·ble·ness noun
- searcher noun
- outsearch verb (used with object)
- pre·search noun verb (used with object)
- under·search noun
- un·searched adjective
- well-searched adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of search1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of search1
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Idioms and Phrases
- search me, I don't know:
Why has it taken so long to reach a decision? Search me.
More idioms and phrases containing search
In addition to the idiom beginning with search , also see high and low, search ; in search of .Discover More
Example Sentences
In my search for answers about who I was, I pored over religious texts in search of enlightenment.
After a hit, they would adjust the search to the most likely route from there.
The ATSB has been impressive in the way it has taken over the direction of the search for Flight 370.
Search teams find dozens of people and jet debris floating in the Java Sea, as the airline confirms the wreckage is from QZ8501.
We separate the search for justice from the search for truth at our peril.
Felipe was so full of impatience to continue his search, that he hardly listened to the Father's words.
He will search out the hidden meanings of proverbs, and will be conversant in the secrets of parables.
But such refuge, he knew, could avail him nothing if the bear should scent him out and search for him.
His search has always hitherto been fruitless, and he has sunk back, disheartened, into the sea.
Joe,” said Mr. Wardle, after an unsuccessful search in all his pockets, “is my snuff-box on the sofa?
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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