Trivia Time

Which TV show is credited with being the first to use google as a verb?

Test Your Knowledge

Google

American  

[goo-guhl] / ˈgu gəl /

Trademark.

1. the brand name for a leading internet search engine, founded in 1998.

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verb (used with object)

Googled, Googling

1. (often lowercase) to search the internet for information about (a person, topic, etc.).

   We googled the new applicant to check her background.

verb (used without object)

Googled, Googling

1. (often lowercase) to use a search engine such as Google to find information, a website address, etc., on the internet.

Google British  

/ ˈɡuːɡəl /

noun

1. a popular search engine on the internet

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verb

1. to search for (something on the internet) using a search engine

2. 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

Two AI leaders, including a Nobel laureate, recently said they would leave Google for rival labs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

Alphabet shares dropped around 5.7% after Nobel laureate John Jumper left Google DeepMind for AI start-up Anthropic.

From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026

The orders coincide with billions of dollars in funding for quantum companies being awarded by the Commerce Department and a private-sector investment frenzy from companies including IBM, Microsoft and Google.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026

“This hands-on collaboration provides Google DeepMind with invaluable feedback and guidance from leading artists.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026

On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Rabia sends me a Google Hangouts invite for another America's Got Talent watching.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan