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:
Leading AI developers have met with the Trump administration in recent months, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Nvidia, Microsoft and Meta, according to reports.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Wisk got its start as a joint venture between Boeing and Google co-founder Larry Page’s Kitty Hawk Corp. and has flown six generations of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOL.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Alphabet’s Google Cloud backlog has reached $240 billion, also more than doubling year over year, as existing customers are consuming cloud services more than 30% faster than their original commitments.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Disclosure: Google and Punchbowl News have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
Scott isn’t home when I get back, so I get my laptop out and Google him, for the first time ever.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
“I Googled it to see: Did I already write this?” he says, laughing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
I Googled “Philadelphia public radio” and found WXPN, now my gold standard.
From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2026
He Googled and called around to see how best to join others and resist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026
This small act of attention helps prevent the classic mid-recipe surprise: the unannounced overnight rest, the last-minute need for a tool you don’t own, the technique you wish you’d Googled earlier.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025
Then he opened his computer and Googled Coach Murphy.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
“I started Googling it–that’s when I discovered the bad news,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
She explained getting the stats of individual players' careers isn't as simple as Googling it - back in the day, clubs weren't so diligent about keeping records.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2025
I asked him: “Do you think Googling symptoms comes from a lack of trust in medical professionals?”
From Slate ● Jul. 26, 2025
Eventually — fortunately, and unfortunately for the guy with the tattoo — a little Googling cleared things up.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2025
As Genie was about to start searching the next question, his Googling was cut short.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
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.
