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

Links to the chats, some of which included personal and work information, would show up if a user of a search engine like Google used a site-specific search term.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

It alleged Google pressured phone makers using Android to pre-install its search engine and Google Chrome browser -- essentially shutting out rivals.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

The decision is the culmination of a yearslong dispute over how Google uses its position in the digital economy to direct users to its own search engine on devices such as smartphones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

I mean, people have been scraping the whole web since the first search engine.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

“It got a lot better after Jessie fiddled with it,” Angie said, pulling up the Internet search engine, which opened at once.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser