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search
has definitions from the fields of nautical,psychology,computer science
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[ noun ] the activity of looking thoroughly in order to find something or someone
Used in print (High Fidelity, 11:10...)The piano performance on this Trout is one that really demands a search for superlatives . (J. W. C. Hagstrom et al., "Debilitating muscular...)A careful search failed to show occlusion of any of the mesenteric vessels . (William Maxwell, The Chateau....)In their search for what turned_out to be the right breakfast china but the wrong table silver , they opened every cupboard door in the kitchen and pantry . (E. Lucas Myers, "The Vindication of Dr. Nestor,"...)All search was ended ; he had found his fowl . (Leo Lemon, "Catch Up With" and "Something to...)The action centers about a group of outspoken and offbeat students sitting around a table in a cafeteria and their collective and ultimately fruitless search for a cup of hot coffee . |
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[ verb ] try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
Examples "The police are searching for clues" "They are searching for the missing man in the entire county" Used in print (B. J. D. Meeuse, The Story of Pollination....)As befits a queen , a bumblebee female is rather choosy and may spend considerable time searching for a suitable nesting_place . (Francis Pollini, Night....)The man shrank before the hot fury , searching frantically for the answer * * h Finnegan woke_up . |
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[ verb ] search or seek
Synonyms Examples "We looked all day and finally found the child in the forest" "Look elsewhere for the perfect gift!" Used in print (William G. Pollard, Physicist and Christian....)In searching for clues which might lead us to a fresh apprehension of the reality of spirit , the close connection between spirit and community is likely to prove the most fruitful . (William Maxwell, The Chateau....)They found the teakettle and put water on to boil and then searched through the icebox . (Irving Stone, The Agony and the Ecstasy....)Search as he might , he could find no place where the Bible spoke of a moment when Mary could have been alone with Jesus . (Leo Lemon, "Catch Up With" and "Something to...)Although the play does show a certain structural amateurishness ( there are eleven acts varying in length from twenty-five seconds to an hour and a half ) , the statement it makes concerning the ceaseless yearning and searching of youth is profound and worthy of our attention . |
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[ noun ] an investigation seeking answers
Examples "a thorough search of the ledgers revealed nothing" or "the outcome justified the search" Used in print (Chester G. Starr, The Origins of Greek Civili...)What we have seen in this chapter , we have seen only dimly , and yet the results , however general , are worth the search . Related terms |
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[ verb ] inquire into
Used in print (Tristram P. Coffin, "Folklore in the American Twentieth...)2 ) As a country superimposes its cultural and political attitudes on others , it searches its heritage in hopes of justifying its aggressiveness . (Leo Lemon, "Catch Up With" and "Something to...)Although the play does show a certain structural amateurishness ( there are eleven acts varying in length from twenty-five seconds to an hour and a half ) , the statement it makes concerning the ceaseless yearning and searching of youth is profound and worthy of our attention . Related terms investigate re-explore cast_about prospect research research_worker inquiry exploration |
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[ verb ] subject to a search
Examples "The police searched the suspect" "We searched the whole house for the missing keys" Used in print (87th Congress, 1st Session. Congressional Record....)Blockade runners can be stopped - by gunfire , if necessary - searched and held , at_least temporarily . |
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[ noun ] (psychology) the examination of alternative hypotheses
Examples "his search for a move that would avoid checkmate was unsuccessful" Related terms |
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[ noun ] (nautical) boarding and inspecting a ship on the high seas
Examples "right of search" Related terms |
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