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Synonyms

searching

American  
[sur-ching] / ˈsɜr tʃɪŋ /

adjective

  1. examining carefully or thoroughly.

    a searching inspection.

  2. acutely observant or penetrating.

    a searching glance; a searching mind.

  3. piercing or sharp.

    a searching wind.
searching British  
/ ˈsɜːtʃɪŋ /

adjective

  1. keenly penetrating

    a searching look
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • searchingly adverb
  • searchingness noun
  • self-searching adjective
  • unsearching adjective
  • unsearchingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of searching

First recorded in 1570–80; search + -ing 2

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.

Operators were drowning in imagery, searching frame by frame for objects of interest that might appear for only a moment before vanishing.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

But "there was no easy way to actually try and track him down because they literally just had to go searching through the bush", says Hurley.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

People searching for stable jobs can think about the big picture — but also about the details of the job postings they’re looking at.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

They were searching for genetic features that could explain the unusually fast pace of evolution.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

So Karl did it for her, searching around till he found them.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

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.