search

/sɜːt͡ʃ/

verb 5noun 2name 1

Collocations

(noun.)

ADJ

careful, exhaustive, extensive, painstaking, systematic, thorough | major, massive, nationwide | desperate, frantic | constant | police

routine

The airport security staff performed a routine search of every passenger's luggage before boarding.

house-to-house

fingertip

The detective conducted a fingertip search of the crime scene looking for evidence.

body, strip

The security guard performed a strip search before allowing us to enter the restricted area.

computer, Internet

VERB + SEARCH

begin, launch, mount, start

After the child went missing, rescue teams began an intensive search of the forest.

carry out, conduct, do, make

Police carried out a thorough search of the apartment after the robbery.

abandon, call off

The rescue team decided to abandon the search after three days with no new clues.

SEARCH + NOUN

operation

The rescue team launched a search operation to find the missing hikers in the mountains.

party, team | warrant

engine

I used a search engine to find the nearest restaurant to my house.

PREP

in ~ of

The team has been in search of a reliable supplier for months now.

~ for

Scientists have been conducting an important search for new medicines to treat serious diseases.

(verb.)

ADV

thoroughly

The police thoroughly searched the suspect's apartment looking for stolen jewelry.

carefully, diligently, painstakingly | systematically

actively

She is actively searching for a new job after graduating from university last month.

eagerly | desperately, frantically | in vain

aimlessly

She aimlessly searched through her bag for her keys before finally finding them in her coat pocket.

constantly

around/round

I searched around the kitchen for my keys before leaving for work.

PREP

among

The police searched among the crowd to find the missing child.

for

The archaeologists dug carefully through the site, searching for ancient pottery and tools.

She searched in the drawer for her missing keys before leaving for work.

through

I spent an hour searching through old boxes in the attic looking for my passport.

PHRASES

search far and wide, search sth from top to bottom

The police searched the neighborhood far and wide looking for the missing child.

search high and low

We searched high and low for her lost wedding ring throughout the house.

Definitions

noun

An attempt to find something.

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

At least eight people died, and officials expressed deep concerns that the toll would rise as more searches of homes were carried out.

The act of searching in general.

Search is a hard problem for computers to solve efficiently.

Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet. Perhaps we assume that our name, address and search preferences will be viewed by some unseen pair of corporate eyes, probably not human, and don't mind that much.

verb

To look in (a place) for something.

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

To look thoroughly.

The police are searching for evidence in his flat.

It sufficeth that they have once with care and fairness sifted the matter as far as they could, and searched into all the particulars.

To look for, seek.

To search the God of loue, her Nymphes she sent / Throughout the wandring forrest euery where[…].

For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

To put a phrase into a search engine, especially one besides Google.

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

To probe or examine (a wound).

Now torne we to the xj kynges that retorned vnto a cyte that hyghte Sorhaute / the whiche cyte was within kynge Vryens / and ther they refresshed hem as wel as they myght / and made leches serche theyr woundys and sorowed gretely for the dethe of her peple

Now to the bottome dost thou search my wound.

name

A surname.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the activity of looking thoroughly in order to find somethin

noun — an operation that determines whether one or more of a set of

lookup

verb — inquire into

verb — try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence

seek

verb — search or seek

look

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

Example Bank

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

Wiktionary

At least eight people died, and officials expressed deep concerns that the toll would rise as more searches of homes were carried out.

Wiktionary

Search is a hard problem for computers to solve efficiently.

Wiktionary

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

Wiktionary

The police are searching for evidence in his flat.

Wiktionary

It sufficeth that they have once with care and fairness sifted the matter as far as they could, and searched into all the particulars.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, search is marked as archaic, obsolete. Watch for register when choosing this word.

Your note

not saved

0 chars