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:
In another virtual address to the ministers, Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis said the achievement of human-level AI would unleash ten times the impact of the Industrial Revolution.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Google and Apple have said they update maps with the U.S.’s Geographic Names Information System, which updates its labels when the federal government changes place names.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
According to a Google blog post, the update follows its “long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
He was fired in 2022 for leaking proprietary data but all understood the Pandora’s box he opened by suggesting a Google large language model was conscious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
It’s because she’s done the same Google search as me, of course.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
He told me the name, and I Googled it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 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
Every time I Googled anything about the disorder, RFK Jr.’s name popped up.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
Wordle even helped to end a 17-hour hostage ordeal and became the most Googled word of 2022.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026
I Googled her—the story appeared in the Witney Argus, but with no further details.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
“I started Googling it–that’s when I discovered the bad news,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
We wandered around the parking lot until we found the breeziest spot, although I was also Googling “How to fly a kite successfully.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 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
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.
