search engine

[ surch en-juhn ]

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.

search engine

noun

1. computing a service provided on the internet enabling users to search for items of interest

search engine

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of search engine¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

The Justice Department is trying to make consumers more aware of choices outside of Google, the world’s most popular search engine.

From Los Angeles Times

That Google be stopped from paying companies like Apple to be the default search engine on their devices, an arrangement that netted the iPhone maker as much as $1 billion a month by 2021.

From New York Times

Government lawyers also recommended that District Judge Amit Mehta force the firm to stop entering into contracts with companies - including Apple and Samsung - that make its search engine the default on many smartphones and browsers.

From BBC

The company then used the data it gathered to make its search engine better, which kept customers coming back.

From New York Times

Judge Mehta said in his ruling in August that the default search engine was "extremely valuable real estate" for Google.

From BBC