Definition of "search" in English

noun

1. An attempt to find something.

   • With only five minutes until we were meant to leave, the search for the keys started in earnest.

2. The act of searching in general.

   • Search is a hard problem for computers to solve efficiently.

verb

1. (transitive) To look in (a place) for something.

   • I searched the garden for the keys and found them in the vegetable patch.

2. (intransitive, followed by "for") To look thoroughly.

   • The police are searching for evidence in his flat.

3. (transitive, now rare) To look for, seek.

4. (transitive) To put a phrase into a search engine, especially one besides Google.

   • I searched "Paris Hilton" and found lots of unflattering stories.

5. (transitive, obsolete) To probe or examine (a wound).

6. (obsolete) To examine; to try; to put to the test.