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 Smith, who spends hours signing and searching for professional basketball and hockey players, has noticed a slight shift in their mindsets. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026 The then-53-year-old Highsmith had no idea she’d been kidnapped or that her family had spent decades searching for her. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026 For people searching for relief, a strip of tape looks like a cheap fix. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026 While searching the area, two other detectives spotted the Chevy parked at Southwest 64th Court and 88th Street. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026 After Esther’s soul-searching decision to separate, the third season of the show, now streaming, tracks the fallout of their life apart. — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Employers are searching for people who can ask good questions, read a room, weigh shades of gray, apply context to a hard decision, and write persuasively without a large language model (LLM) telling them what to say. — Matt Vandenberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 So still searching for a first win, while also moving on to, seemingly, soul searching for a critical missing element. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026 Police are searching for a man in connection with the shooting. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for searching

Verb

The three granddaughters combing every corner of Victoria’s House—familiar terrain.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Police arrested him again in April 2023 and started combing through the forest more systematically and exhuming mass graves.

— Jefferson Kahinju Reuters, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of combing

Verb

The decor nods to her career without losing sight of the hotel’s purpose as a place to unwind after a day exploring Music City.

— Tracey Teo, AJC.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Aljafari is recognized for his distinctive cinematic practice exploring memory, history, identity and the politics of images.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of exploring

Verb

The fact-finding report will be made public 10 days after it is provided to the CSU and CFA.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Cleaning graves grew in popularity during the pandemic The trend was particularly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic as people searched for safe hobbies, finding connections over death during a pandemic.

— Kimberlee Kruesi, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of finding

Verb

Unusual states at edges The team examined its molecular assembly using a scanning tunneling microscope.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Visit during opening hours to control the lights and playlist by scanning a QR code — and on Halloween play carnival games in the garage.

— Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of scanning

Verb

The Kansas City Police Department is asking for the public’s help locating a vehicle investigators believe may be connected to the fatal shooting of a former University of Missouri Kansas City volleyball player.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026
The Parker County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help locating a 22-year-old man wanted in connection with a shooting Tuesday morning.

— Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of locating

Verb

Railway infrastructure manager Adif is investigating the sequence of events surrounding the accident, Spanish news agency EFE reported on Wednesday.

— Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026
In Cucuta, next to the border with Venezuela, authorities are investigating the murder of a former deputy mayor, who was assassinated on Monday night while on his way home.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 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