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

And rather than relying on its own engineers to overhaul Siri, Apple has turned to Google for its AI capability.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Earlier this month, Anthropic also expanded its partnership with Alphabet’s Google and Broadcom, adding multiple gigawatts of capacity on their TPU chips.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

But the company has lagged behind as its rivals such as OpenAI, Google, Meta and more move quickly to dominate the artificial intelligence race.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Google could look to Marvell for chips designed to make the process of AI inference—producing results from models—more efficient, according to The Information.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

“Doesn’t matter. But you should figure out who is either so fluent in Yiddish that they could threaten you in it or who is technologically competent enough to do a Google search.”

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny