搜索 (sōu suǒ) is a verb meaning 'to search' — most commonly used for online searches (e.g., on Baidu or WeChat), but also for physically searching for something lost or hidden. The character 搜 (sōu) means 'to scour' or 'to comb through', while 索 (suǒ) means 'to seek' or 'to look for'; together, they form an emphatic compound expressing thorough, intentional searching. Unlike the simpler verb 找 (zhǎo), which is general and colloquial, 搜索 carries a more formal or technical tone, especially in digital contexts.

This word is frequently used with objects like 网页 (web pages), 信息 (information), or 文件 (files), and often appears in verb–object constructions like 搜索关键词 (search keywords) or 在网上搜索 (search online). It can be used transitively ('I searched the database') or intransitively ('She searched for hours'). It’s rarely used for casual, everyday physical searching — for that, 找 or 寻找 are preferred.