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:
Major closed model developers include OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The company has announced deals to lease its data center capacity to AI hyperscalers Google and Anthropic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The company in June reached deal to sell its AI computing power to Google for $920 million a month as part of a cloud services deal through mid-2029.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Gaza Sky Geeks was founded in 2012 by Google and Mercy Corps.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 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
He told me the name, and I Googled it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
“I Googled it to see: Did I already write this?” he says, laughing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Every time I Googled anything about the disorder, RFK Jr.’s name popped up.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 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
Or, maybe it’s something I should’ve Googled to find out the answer myself—but it’s too late to backtrack now.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
“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
Still, I haven’t stopped Googling things or ditched my Gmail, because that would be an epic pain.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2025
Eventually — fortunately, and unfortunately for the guy with the tattoo — a little Googling cleared things up.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2025
She looks like she’s been Googling again, up until the early hours of the morning, reading page after page, article after article, on lung transplants.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
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.
