verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
-
to search for (something on the internet) using a search engine
-
to check (the credentials of someone) by searching for websites containing his or her name
Etymology
Origin of Google
First recorded in 1998; after mathematical term googol
Explanation
To google is to use an online search engine to find some piece of information. You might google your favorite author to find out what other books she's written. Searching the Internet for answers to questions, details about people, map directions, and other information is a common activity for most of us, and since the 1990s, most of us have come to use the verb google to describe it. The verb comes from the Google search engine, first active in 1997, although until about 2000 it was mostly used in the phrase "Do a google on."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Google compared the model’s actions to those of ethical hackers who help companies find their vulnerabilities through bug-bounty programs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
It’s outperforming huge companies like Nvidia and Google on some metrics, while besting gold and the world’s dominant currencies on others.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
AI titans Anthropic, OpenAI and Google - the tech companies behind Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini, respectively - have also disclosed instances of security breaches or incidents in which their chatbots were used for "malicious activity".
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Google, Amazon and Microsoft “kind of came out of nowhere” he said, and they “started building out these massive, massive data centers for cloud.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
She dangled her fingers loosely, limply in the air over his back, wishing she could Google it.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
The sentiment struck me as both suspiciously sensible and succinct enough to survive its surroundings, so I Googled it.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
He told me the name, and I Googled it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
Every time I Googled anything about the disorder, RFK Jr.’s name popped up.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
"Googled u after last email," she wrote in October 2011.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
“You know all those questions in the trivia contest Friday? I did so badly, I Googled a bunch of them later that night. They were all from 1968.”
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
“I started Googling it–that’s when I discovered the bad news,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
She explained getting the stats of individual players' careers isn't as simple as Googling it - back in the day, clubs weren't so diligent about keeping records.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2025
Barrios Gracián’s training consisted of a free entrepreneur course through the city of Anaheim, a video by the American Booksellers Assn., talking to other bookstore owners and Googling “how to open a bookstore.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2025
I asked him: “Do you think Googling symptoms comes from a lack of trust in medical professionals?”
From Slate ● Jul. 26, 2025
“I was Googling us again this morning, and all these blogs and posts started popping up. None of them are very nice.”
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
