search engine

American  

[surch en-juhn] / ˈsɜrtʃ ˌɛn dʒən /

noun

Digital Technology.

1. a computer program that searches documents, especially on the World Wide Web, for a specified word or words and provides a list of documents in which they are found.

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search engine British  

noun

1. computing a service provided on the internet enabling users to search for items of interest

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search engine Cultural  

1. Web sites or software that search the Internet for documents that contain a key word, phrase, or subject that is specified by the user to the search engine. Each engine has its own method of searching for information.

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Etymology

Origin of search engine

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

It had been the Amsterdam-based holding company that owned Russia’s Yandex, a tech conglomerate with a search engine, a cloud-computing arm and a ride-hailing service.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

The operator of China’s dominant search engine beat analysts’ estimates for adjusted net income in the first quarter.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

The dashboard includes a search engine to find violations tied to specific addresses, as well as a map showing more than 44,000 properties with complaints against them.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

The European Union is asking Google to share its search engine data with competitors.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Angie took one last look at the search results, then reluctantly closed down the search engine.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser