Trivia Time

Which TV show is credited with being the first to use google as a verb?

Test Your Knowledge

Google

American  

[goo-guhl] / ˈgu gəl /

Trademark.

1. the brand name for a leading internet search engine, founded in 1998.

---

verb (used with object)

Googled, Googling

1. (often lowercase) to search the internet for information about (a person, topic, etc.).

   We googled the new applicant to check her background.

verb (used without object)

Googled, Googling

1. (often lowercase) to use a search engine such as Google to find information, a website address, etc., on the internet.

Google British  

/ ˈɡuːɡəl /

noun

1. a popular search engine on the internet

---

verb

1. to search for (something on the internet) using a search engine

2. 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

After recording the calls, Regan uploaded the files to a Google Drive folder that he shared as training materials with the insurance agents who sold Next Level and Yield.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026

US tech giants - including Google, Amazon and Meta - said they will spend $650bn into the technology this year.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026

He also thinks it's a good way for them to think for themselves, form their own opinions - and not overly-rely on Google.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026

According to Pitchbook analyst Franco Granda, SpaceX has leased out some 73% of the existing capacity at its Colossus I and Colossus II data-center complexes and half of planned capacity to Google and Anthropic.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 27, 2026

Then she pulls out her laptop and launches Google.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline