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:
Early last week, President Trump and tech executives from Anthropic, Google, Meta, OpenAI, Nvidia and others signed a voluntary accord to “self-police” AI development.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Plus, a former German spy chief was arrested on suspicion of espionage and Google and Constellation Energy struck a 20-year nuclear-power deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
There are multiple apps dedicated to finding the cheapest fuel around, but Google Maps is used by 77% of Britain's adult population for general navigation, according to Ofcom.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Year: 2020 Compiled by: Henry Grabar and Ben Mathis-Lilley Of note: The result of a Google Doc the co-authors had updated throughout the first term.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026
We were decades, still, from a time when a simple Google search would bring up a head-spinning array of charts, statistics, and medical explainers that either gave or took away hope.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
The sentiment struck me as both suspiciously sensible and succinct enough to survive its surroundings, so I Googled it.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
And working on a historical drama, we’ve had people Google things, and in fact they Googled something about Frederick Douglass being at this very important American event.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
It listed the names of the people at this meeting, high-profile executives and lower-level staffers - and when Adam Googled the names, he saw they were real people.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
Every time I Googled anything about the disorder, RFK Jr.’s name popped up.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
I once Googled “excessive blushing” and found out there’s a terrifying name for my condition: idiopathic craniofacial erythema.
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
“I started Googling it–that’s when I discovered the bad news,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 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
I’ve spent entire evenings Googling ranch dressing varietals, decoding the semiotics of suburban chain restaurant menus, pondering the subtle thrill of foods that jiggle.
From Salon ● May 26, 2025
We had started our search by simply Googling his name.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
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.
