English · Science & Technology
search engine
/sɜːtʃ ˈɛn.dʒɪn/
[/sɜːtʃ ˈɛn.dʒɪn/]
web search tool
Beginnernoun
Definition
A program that searches the internet and lists web pages related to the words you type.
Example
She typed her question into the search engine and found several helpful articles within seconds.
She typed her question into the search engine and found several helpful articles within seconds.
Etymology
A compound of 'search' (from Old French 'cerchier') and 'engine', emerging in the 1990s.
How & Where It’s Used
Well-known examples include Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo.