search

A2 Topic:Space, Position & Direction

Also spelled seearch

US /sɝt͡ʃ/ UK /sɜːt͡ʃ/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like church /tʃ/ vs /s/

noun verb Freq #1094

Meanings

1

verb
To look carefully in order to find someone or something.

The police are searching for clues.
2

noun
An attempt to find someone or something.

The search for the missing keys started in earnest.
3

verb
To examine a person or place carefully to find something hidden.

The guards searched every bag at the entrance.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to look carefully in order... look forseek

2 noun · an attempt to find someone... sweep

More comb scour

Word family

Forms searchedsearchessearchingunsearched

Related forms googlelook research

Common collocations

Etymology

From Middle English serchen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman sercher, Old French cerchier, from Late Latin circō, circāre (“to circle; go around; search for”), from Latin circa, circus. Not related to German suchen, which is cognate with English seek.

*(s)ker- (turn) Proto-Indo-European serchen Middle English sercher xno cerchier Old French circō la-lat circa Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction

# search

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** sɝt͡ʃ
**IPA (UK):** sɜːt͡ʃ
**Frequency rank:** 1094

## Meanings
1. To look carefully in order to find someone or something.
2. An attempt to find someone or something.
3. To examine a person or place carefully to find something hidden.

## Examples
- The police are searching for clues.
- The search for the missing keys started in earnest.
- The guards searched every bag at the entrance.

## Synonyms
- comb
- scour
- seek

## Related Forms
- google
- look
- research

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *(s)ker- (turn)
- Root: serchen
- Root: sercher
- Root: cerchier
- Root: circō
- Root: circa

## Etymology
From Middle English serchen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman sercher, Old French cerchier, from Late Latin circō, circāre (“to circle; go around; search for”), from Latin circa, circus. Not related to German suchen, which is cognate with English seek.

## AI Etymology
Search is from Middle English serchen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman sercher, Old French cerchier, from Late Latin circō, circāre (“to circle; go around; search for”), from Latin circa, circus. Not related to German suchen, which is cognate with English seek. Important forms in the word's history include Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (turn), Middle English serchen, xno sercher, Old French cerchier, la-lat circō, Latin circa. In current use it includes senses such as To look carefully in order to find someone or something and An attempt to find someone or something.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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