SEARCHING Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

searching

verb

present participle of search

as in combing

to look through (as a place) carefully or thoroughly in an effort to find or discover something archaeologists have begun to search the southern end of the valley, where they believe the underground tombs are located

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in exploring

to go into or range over for purposes of discovery the Spanish conquistadors searched vast areas of the Southwest in their quest for the fabled cities of gold

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of searching Police are searching for a man in connection with the shooting. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026 The Coast Guard and Navy are searching the waters using multiple aircraft and boats, along with assistance from the Mexican navy. — Mikella Schuettler, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 Days into their expedition, the team searching for Amelia Earhart’s missing plane is battling severe weather — and racing to identify a mysterious object that could finally solve the aviator's disappearance. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 When human remains were found in suitcases abandoned by the side of a rural Wisconsin road, a community was left shocked and searching for answers. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 Identify computationally challenging business problems rather than searching for reasons to use quantum. — Rajjie Sarmey, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Tri Ocean’s customer base remains predominantly Vietnamese and Chinese, but the store increasingly attracts non-Asian shoppers searching for fresh seafood, tropical produce and hard-to-find specialty items, like authentic pho ingredients. — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026 But that business depends on shoppers searching and browsing its platform, where brands pay to promote their products. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026 The company said 950 AI agents, which can independently plan and execute tasks, spent 21 hours searching the data, picking out 3,500 RTs. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for searching

Verb

Given the prime location, everything is at your disposal from combing history tomes at Yountville Library to ticking off as many wine tastings as possible in one day.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
Investigators have been combing through surveillance video that captured part of the shooting, according to the court records.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of combing

Verb

This poll is part of an ongoing project exploring the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, who are usually not highlighted in other surveys because of small sample sizes and lack of linguistic representation.

— Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Former Great British Bake Off host Sue Perkins is exploring her late-in-life ADHD diagnosis for the first time in an Audible podcast.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of exploring

Verb

There was very little original local production, and people were finding their favourite TV shows through obscure corners of the web.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
This pliability has made the app particularly popular for casual, real-time occasions—such as finding the ideal hostess gift for a weekend visit or selecting a thoughtful token for a friend—without resorting to generic fallback options.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of finding

Verb

Aiming to protect what’s left of its buildings and monuments is a converted Volkswagen Crafter—the ARK III, a mobile 3D-scanning lab that creates digital twins of sacred and historical structures for future restoration.

— Chris Stokel-Walker, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
The sonar pinged about once a second, scanning the water 500 feet in every direction for signs of life, while another machine scanned the water immediately below the boat.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of scanning

Verb

Authorities in northeastern Minnesota are asking for the public's help in locating a 16-year-old girl last seen in Minneapolis.

— WCCO Staff, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
The mounting holes, locating slots, and curved bodies reproduced clearly, although visible layer lines and some surface unevenness made these less polished than my fine-detail test prints.

— Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of locating

Verb

The Spanish government is investigating accusations detailed in an Amnesty International report of mistreatment and torture by Spanish soldiers.

— JOSEPH WILSON, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
The Cobb County Police Department said its major crimes unit is investigating the incident.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of investigating

Verb

Emergency crews in Florida and Alabama are surveying damage wrought by Hurricane Isaias, after the storm bashed into the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 storm Friday night.

— Bill Chappell, NPR, 10 Oct. 2026
The three-time NBA MVP stood behind a gaggle of teammates squished up against the CU bench, quietly surveying the madness from the 15-yard line while twisting the cap of his bottled water.

— Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of surveying

Verb

Kyiv’s European partners have been scouring the world for Patriot missiles but have so far been unable to meet Ukraine’s modest request of 300 interceptors to get through the winter.

— Eric Ciaramella, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026
This marked the first time Sanders had been asked about the viral situation, which left college football fans scouring game footage in an attempt to determine whether the script was legitimate.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026