Definition, synonyms and related words
A search technology that uses the results from a number of traditional search engines.
"When no single database contained all the information I needed, I used metasearch to aggregate results from multiple traditional search engines at once."
In plain English: Metasearch is when you search multiple websites at once to find all their results together without visiting each site yourself.
"The travel app uses metasearch to compare prices from multiple airlines at once."
Usage: This term is technical and specific to information retrieval systems; avoid using it in casual conversation when referring to simply searching multiple websites manually. It describes an automated process, not a user's independent browsing behavior.
To perform a search of this kind.
"Users can perform a metasearch to find results across multiple databases simultaneously without visiting each site individually."
In plain English: To metasearch is to send your search query at once to many different websites so you can see all their results together.
"You can metasearch multiple travel websites at once to find the best flight prices."
The word metasearch combines the prefix meta- with search to describe a system that queries multiple databases at once rather than searching a single one. This term entered English by building on existing roots to create a new concept for automated information retrieval.