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

In some ways, this is an evolution of SEO, or search engine optimization—the strategies companies have been using for decades to appear atop Google results.

From The Wall Street Journal

Apple and Google have a separate partnership for search, in which Google effectively provides the search engine capabilities for Apple Safari.

From BBC

Google's search engine accounts for more than 90 percent of online enquiries in the UK, according to the regulator.

From Barron's

Groups like Google are classified as having strategic status under the law due to their ownership of key routes to market like mobile operating systems and search engines.

From The Wall Street Journal

The European Commission wants to ensure Google gives rival AI service providers equal access to its Android operating system, and demands the American titan grants competing search engines access to search data.

From Barron's