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