search engine

American  

[surch en-juhn] / ˈsɜrtʃ ˌɛn dʒən /

noun

Digital Technology.

• search engines
  plural

1. a computer program that searches documents, especially on the World Wide Web, for a specified word or words and provides a list of documents in which they are found.

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search engine British  

noun

1. computing a service provided on the internet enabling users to search for items of interest

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search engine Cultural  

1. Web sites or software that search the Internet for documents that contain a key word, phrase, or subject that is specified by the user to the search engine. Each engine has its own method of searching for information.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• search engines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of search engine

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

search engine

The search engine was also the top choice across all age groups, the survey found.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

When Microsoft started infusing its Bing search engine with AI, Google saw a threat to its core ad business and ordered as many AI chips as it could.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The Beijing-based search engine provider, sometimes called China's Google, has for years heralded the potential of AI in the country.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

The European Parliament just switched its default search provider to a French service, called Qwant, to reduce reliance on American technology — but the search engine turns to Microsoft Bing for much of its results.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

On a whim, I reach for the keyboard again and type “Bermuda” and “spearfishing” into the search engine.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller