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

The company never created its own search engine, relying on Google to power search across its devices.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

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 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

Her hair still smelled like french fries from the restaurant, and she tied it back as she opened her search engine.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway