The way younger generations refer to online searching is evolving, reflecting broader changes in technology and language use. While “to Google” once dominated as the go-to verb for using internet search engines, younger users—particularly members of Generation Z and Generation Alpha—are increasingly opting for the phrase “search up” instead.

The shift is notable among children and teenagers, many of whom rarely use the term “Googling” despite regularly employing the Google search engine or similar tools. An 11-year-old named Carson noted that she and her peers exclusively use “search up,” with phrases like “search up Erling Haaland” replacing the older “Google it.” This newer linguistic trend has gained enough traction to warrant inclusion of “search up” in the 2024 edition of the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and Thesaurus.

Linguists trace the phrase “search up” back several centuries, with the Oxford English Dictionary citing its earliest use in 1529. The term’s historical meaning involved physical examination of texts or objects, a contrast to the instantaneous and abstract nature of internet searches today. As digital search technology emerged in the late 20th century, terms like “look up” and “browse” shifted toward describing actions performed on screens rather than in physical libraries or stores.

The verb “to Google” emerged as a popular term in the early 2000s, officially recognized by Merriam-Webster and the Oxford English Dictionary in 2006. Larry Page, a co-founder of Google, is credited with one of the first uses of the verb in 1998. Yet Google as a company discouraged its use as a generic verb to protect its trademark from “genericide.” Despite this, “Googling” quickly became a standard part of everyday language.

Experts see the current move away from “Google” as part of a natural linguistic progression from brand-specific terms to more generic expressions. Deborah Tannen, a linguistics professor at Georgetown University, compares the phenomenon to past shifts, such as “Kleenex” falling out of use as a universal term for tissues and “Levi’s” no longer referring to all blue jeans. When Google was the dominant search engine without serious competition, “Google it” was the natural choice; today, with the proliferation of other search tools and artificial intelligence assistants like ChatGPT and Claude, the landscape—and vocabulary—has broadened.

For younger users who have grown up with ubiquitous internet access, Google is simply one among many available tools. As Carson remarked, “When the adults were kids, they didn’t really have Google, but now that we’re kids it’s more normal.” This linguistic evolution underscores how shifting technologies influence everyday language and reflect changing generations’ relationships with information.