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.
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.
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?
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.
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Idioms for search
search me, I don't know: Why has it taken so long to reach a decision? Search me.
Origin of search
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb serchen, cerchen, from Anglo-French sercher or directly from Old French cerchier, from Late Latin circāre “to go around,” derivative of Latin circus “circle”; noun derivative of the verb
SYNONYMS FOR search
1 investigate.
2 inspect.
12 inspection, scrutiny.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR search ON THESAURUS.COM
OTHER WORDS FROM search
search·a·ble,adjectivesearch·a·ble·ness,nounsearcher,nounoutsearch,verb (used with object)
pre·search,noun,verb (used with object)un·der·search,nounun·searched,adjectivewell-searched,adjective
In my search for answers about who I was, I pored over religious texts in search of enlightenment.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen|Parker Molloy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
After a hit, they would adjust the search to the most likely route from there.
Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours|Michael Daly|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The ATSB has been impressive in the way it has taken over the direction of the search for Flight 370.
Who Will Get AsiaAir 8501’s Black Boxes?|Clive Irving|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Search teams find dozens of people and jet debris floating in the Java Sea, as the airline confirms the wreckage is from QZ8501.
Wreckage, Bodies of AirAsia Crash Found|Lennox Samuels|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We separate the search for justice from the search for truth at our peril.
Bill de Blasio’s Tea Party Problem|Will Cain|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dacres pleaded so earnestly that he was permitted to go with the small crew in search of the missing man.
The Cruise of the "Lively Bee"|John De Morgan
Search it as they pleased, not even the practisect eye of Captain Davis could descry the smallest interruption.
The Ebb-Tide|Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyde Osbourne
It is not here, but in the pages of his Journal for ten years before, that we must search for the secret of d'Argenson's thought.
The Marquis D'Argenson: A Study in Criticism|Arthur Ogle
First of all, he continued to search through the letters, pocketing those which were obviously bills.
Adrien Leroy|Charles Garvice
Pasteur accompanied by wife and daughter had gone in search of his son, sick at Pontarlier.
An Introduction to the History of Science|Walter Libby
British Dictionary definitions for search
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) closelyto search one's conscience
(tr foll by out) to discover by investigation
surgery
to explore (a bodily cavity) during a surgical procedure
to probe (a wound)
(tr)militaryto fire all over (an area)
computingto review (a file) to locate specific information
archaicto penetrate
search meinformalI 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 searchinternational lawthe 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
Derived forms of search
searchable, adjectivesearcher, noun
Word Origin for search
C14: from Old French cerchier, from Late Latin circāre to go around, from Latin circuscircle