Difference Between Search and Find and Seek

Search vs Find vs Seek

There are certain groups of words in English language that all convey nearly similar meanings but are used in different contexts to avoid confusion. Such groups do not pose a problem for someone whose native language is English but often confuse those who have a different mother tongue. One such group of words is search, seek and find that have similar meanings. This article intends to explain the usage of these three words to remove any doubts from the minds of the readers.

Search

Kane is searching for his watch.

The police had the search warrant when it reached the suspect’s place.

Finding such a small earring in this room is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Google is a search engine to get to the desired results.

You conduct a search for a lost thing, or as when you are looking for a website on the internet. Even when a detective or a police team is conducting a search, it is looking for missing links or clues to solve a case. If a person goes missing, police conduct a search to get the person or to get clues about his whereabouts.

Find

You will find the keys of the locker on the rack.

You will find the laws of thermodynamics beautifully explained in this book.

He found the petrol tank empty when he tried to start the car.

Adam was found guilty of the charges leveled against him.

In case of find, you are not looking for a missing thing or trying to get to something you have lost. If a European comes to India, he finds the hot weather unbearable.

Seek

Seek is similar to search. You find when you seek. You tend to seek about a thing when you are curious about it. If you think someone is lying, you seek out the veracity of his statement. He was seeking familiar places when he revisited his old school.

You are not searching or trying to find comfort, you seek comfort. Similarly you seek truth and do not search or find it.

In brief: Search vs Find vs Seek • Though words search, seek and find have similar connotations, they are different because they are used in different contexts. • While search is used when you are trying to look for something that is missing or lost, find is used more in daily life situations. • Seek is used in situations when one is looking for knowledge, truth, comfort etc.