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:
Even earlier in 2005, Google announced that it would commit 1% of its profits and equity toward its philanthropic vision through Google.org, a division of the company rather than a separate foundation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
You can say, “I don’t really want to look at this Google Doc, and pound through another revision of this memo that I’m writing,” but you can force yourself to do it.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
Preorders for the iPhone Duo began Friday, marking Apple’s debut in a foldable phone market largely dominated by Samsung and Google.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Meta, Snap, TikTok, X and Google, which owns YouTube, have all declined BBC requests for comment, and have not made public statements about the legislation.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
According to a Google ngram, ‘scientist’ + ‘scientists’ only becomes more frequent than ‘man of science’ + ‘men of science’ in 1882.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The sentiment struck me as both suspiciously sensible and succinct enough to survive its surroundings, so I Googled it.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
Is there something you Googled in the process of making the show where you were like, “Did this really happen?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Wordle was originally created and developed by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle in 2021 and acquired by the NYT in 2022, when it was also the most Googled word of the year.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
I Googled “Philadelphia public radio” and found WXPN, now my gold standard.
From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2026
Then he opened his computer and Googled Coach Murphy.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
“I started Googling it–that’s when I discovered the bad news,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Fair warning, though: You won’t make it through this book without Googling the price of a one-way trip to Italy.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
"You're Googling stuff that you think you already know and then you kind of tick the box after that saying, oh, I've already done my work for today, my therapy work with ChatGPT," he says.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
I asked him: “Do you think Googling symptoms comes from a lack of trust in medical professionals?”
From Slate ● Jul. 26, 2025
Even now, even while actively Googling, she keeps waving her phone emphatically.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
