Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Examining closely or thoroughly; probing.
  • adjective Keenly observant.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Engaged in seeking, exploring, investigating, or examining: as, a searching party.
  • Keen; penetrating; close: as, a searching discourse; a searching wind; a searching investigation.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Exploring thoroughly; scrutinizing; penetrating; trying.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Present participle of search.
  • adjective etc. Thorough.
  • noun search; hunt

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect
  • adjective exploring thoroughly
  • adjective diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation

Etymologies

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Examples

  • She looked hard at my face, her expression searching and fierce.

    Exit the Actress Priya Parmar 2011

  • She looked hard at my face, her expression searching and fierce.

    Exit the Actress Priya Parmar 2011

  • Google's expertise in searching is the key to help find the intersting content.

    Boing Boing: March 9, 2003 - March 15, 2003 Archives 2003

  • The range -- literally, "searching," "that which it finds by searching is his pasture."

    Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible 1871

  • Now there remains the title searching and the damnable job of financing it -- because we've got to move cautiously, and knock softly at the doors of the money vaults, or we'll be waking up some Wall Street relatives or secret business associates of the yellow crowd; and if anybody bawls for help we'll be up in the air next New Year's, and still hiking skyward. "

    The Younger Set 1899

  • Despite a 4-1 record, the Capitals remain searching for a dominant team performance.

    Capitals, Bruins each balancing two goaltenders Katie Carrera 2010

  • While the Capitals remain searching for a consistent performance throughout an entire contest, one element has done well in each outing and sometimes helped secure wins in those contests with less-than-perfect showings: the penalty kill.

    Capitals' penalty kill rolls on Katie Carrera 2010

  • The French might be more aggressive in searching for corporate secrets, but their military need not simultaneously consider how to stop the Seventh Fleet.

    Cyber Warriors 2010

  • By the same token, we need to make the same demand on insurers to eliminate what have to be significant costs now in searching for and fighting over pre-existing conditions.

    Matthew Yglesias » Controlling Costs Through Making the Price Lower 2010

  • When funding and other sources of revenue go down, employees get nervous, board members get aggressive in searching for cost reductions, donors become less enthusiastic, and leaders have a hard time generating enthusiasm for the mission.

    Buck Goldstein: Innovation Economics: The Pie Must Get Bigger Buck Goldstein 2010

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