search warrant

American  

noun

Law.

search warrants plural

1. a court order authorizing the examination of a dwelling or other private premises by police officials, as for stolen goods.

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search warrant British  

noun

1. a written order issued by a justice of the peace authorizing a constable or other officer to enter and search premises for stolen goods, drugs, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• search warrants
  plural

Etymology

Origin of search warrant

First recorded in 1730–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

search warrant

FBI agents executed a search warrant on Walter’s mobile phone at Midway International Airport in Chicago on Sept. 18, people familiar with the matter said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

FBI agents executed a search warrant at the Virginia home of Washington Post reporter, Hannah Natanson, earlier this year as part of an investigation into alleged mishandling of classified information by a government contractor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Marshals Service early Friday morning to serve a search warrant at a home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and arrest the suspect.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

The FBI served a search warrant at the GKN facility six days after the clean-up was scheduled to take place, which an agency spokesperson said was part of an ongoing investigation into the business.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026

He produced a search warrant, at which point the three of them immediately began to comb through the entire house looking for incriminating papers or documents.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• summons