search engine

American  

[surch en-juhn] / ˈsɜrtʃ ˌɛn dʒən /

noun

Digital Technology.

• search engines
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• search engines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of search engine

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

search engine

A Common Sense Media survey of 1,200 children aged 9 to 17 in March found that three-fourths said they have used search engine AI-generated summaries, making it their most widely experienced form of AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

There was the failed search engine, the closed charity, the cheap furniture line and the mortgage company launched right before the housing bubble burst.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026

Mahaney said that although OpenAI’s ChatGPT “remains the clear long-term share gainer,” according to the survey, it has fallen from its August 2025 peak of 13% of respondents selecting it as their primary search engine.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

The Beijing-based search engine provider, sometimes called China's Google, has for years heralded the potential of AI in the country.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

On a whim, I reach for the keyboard again and type “Bermuda” and “spearfishing” into the search engine.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller