search engine

noun

: computer software used to search data (such as text or a database) for specified information

also : a site on the Internet that uses such software to locate key words in other sites

Examples of search engine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gartner flagged this direction in February 2024, forecasting a 25% drop in traditional search engine volume by 2026 as generative AI tools absorb queries that used to route through a search box. — Gaetano Romeo, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

The image was captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), with stars that shimmer periodically on the search engine's home page. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2026

In June, the UK ruled that Google must allow publishers to opt out of appearing in AI search features, while the European Union opened an investigation into its impact on web traffic and recently ordered it to make changes to its search engine. — Emma Roth, The Verge, 30 Sep. 2026

Page and Brin met while attending Stanford University, building the search engine that became Google in their dorm rooms in 1995. — Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

search engine

noun

: computer software used to search data (as text or a database) for specified information

also : a website that uses such software