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

I long for the anonymity of the old Google search.

From Slate • May 6, 2026

Google's best known AI tool, through its DeepMind subsidiary, is Gemini, a chatbot that is widely available on Google products but is now also being used in US defence and military agencies.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

I’ve learned a lot about homelessness, mostly from him, but also from my daily Google alert for the word in the news.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

Meta released a new AI model called Muse Spark last month that puts it in closer competition with Google, Anthropic and OpenAI—at enormous cost and following numerous shake-ups in its AI strategy.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

A Google alert flagging my name in an article posted on the United States Olympic Committee website, titled “Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad Qualifies for Olympics, Will Become First Athlete to Compete in a Hijab.”

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad