verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
-
to search for (something on the internet) using a search engine
-
to check (the credentials of someone) by searching for websites containing his or her name
Etymology
Origin of Google
First recorded in 1998; after mathematical term googol
Explanation
To google is to use an online search engine to find some piece of information. You might google your favorite author to find out what other books she's written. Searching the Internet for answers to questions, details about people, map directions, and other information is a common activity for most of us, and since the 1990s, most of us have come to use the verb google to describe it. The verb comes from the Google search engine, first active in 1997, although until about 2000 it was mostly used in the phrase "Do a google on."
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.
See Examples For:
It’s outperforming huge companies like Nvidia and Google on some metrics, while besting gold and the world’s dominant currencies on others.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Gemini found "public information online and guessed credentials to access websites it thought were part of the test", a Google official told the BBC, noting that in each instance "the model stopped".
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind did not immediately respond to MarketWatch requests for comment.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
The Gemini hacks resulted from a case of mistaken identity, Google said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The point was to keep a list—a numbered list—of all the things he needed to Google, because to Genie, the more questions you had, the more answers you could find.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
The sentiment struck me as both suspiciously sensible and succinct enough to survive its surroundings, so I Googled it.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
Wordle was originally created and developed by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle in 2021 and acquired by the NYT in 2022, when it was also the most Googled word of the year.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
Every time I Googled anything about the disorder, RFK Jr.’s name popped up.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
He Googled and called around to see how best to join others and resist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026
I hadn’t heard of the summit, but when I Googled it, I saw that it was run by a famous magazine editor, Tina Brown.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
“I started Googling it–that’s when I discovered the bad news,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
We wandered around the parking lot until we found the breeziest spot, although I was also Googling “How to fly a kite successfully.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026
I asked him: “Do you think Googling symptoms comes from a lack of trust in medical professionals?”
From Slate ● Jul. 26, 2025
"We were like a mini hospital," she told BBC News, "dealing with end-of-life care... Googling what to do".
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2025
Thursday evening, I sit on my bed, Googling B. cepacia for the millionth time, and then there’s a clink against my door.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
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.
