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.

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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

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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

The 2004 debut of Google, a stock now trading as Alphabet, offers a textbook example of an IPO base in action.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

Apple has been tight-lipped about the details of the update and its partnership with Google.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026

News of Meta executives reportedly considering a stock offering comes quickly after Google parent Alphabet outlined a plan to issue $80 billion in stock to fund its AI spending spree.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Listen to the entire conversation with Nat and Alex on “Everything Fab Four” and subscribe via Spotify, Apple, Google or wherever you’re listening.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026

Genie had so many questions he needed answers to—he was getting nervous about the question backup—and his dear friend Google was apparently not a friend of his grandparents.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds