go out in search of someone or something
to leave to find someone or something. I went out in search of someone to help me. Mary went out in search of Gloria.
go over something with a fine-tooth comb
and search something with a fine-tooth comb; go through something with a fine-tooth combFig. to search through something very carefully. I can't find my calculus book. I went over the whole place with a fine-tooth comb. I searched this place with a fine-tooth comb and didn't find my ring.
hunt high and low (for someone or something)
and look high and low (for someone or something); search high and low (for someone or something)Fig. to look carefully in every possible place for someone or something. We looked high and low for the right teacher. The Smiths are searching high and low for the home of their dreams.
in quest of someone or something
and in search of someone or somethingseeking or hunting something; trying to find something. They went into town in quest of a reasonably priced restaurant. Monday morning I'll go out in search of a job.
search after someone or something
to look for someone or something. (Perhaps over a long period of time.) We searched after a suitable candidate for weeks. I am searching after a part for my '57 Chevy.
search for someone or something
to look very hard for someone or something. I searched for Ted everywhere, but he was already gone. I have searched for my glasses high and low.
search high and low
(for someone or something) Go to hunt high and low (for someone or something).
Search me.
Inf. I do not know.; You can search my clothing and my person, but you won't find the answer to your question anywhere near me. (The two words have equal stress.) Jane: What time does Mary's flight get in? Sally: Search me. John: What kind of paint should I use on this fence? Bill: Search me.
search someone for something
to feel, touch, pat, frisk, or examine electronically a person's body, looking for something hidden underneath the clothes. The police searched the suspect for hidden weapons. The airport guard used an electronic instrument to search the passengers for weapons.
search someone or something out
to seek and find someone or something. I will search Fred out. I know he's here somewhere. We have to search out the key to the safe-deposit box.
search something for someone or something
to examine something, looking for someone or something. Everyone searched the house for little Wally, but he was not to be found. I searched all my coat pockets for the note, but I didn't find it.
search through something
to examine all the things found in something. I searched through my books for the answer. My drawers were searched through thoroughly.
in search of
Also, in quest of. Looking for, seeking, as in They went to California in search of gold, or I went to the library in quest of a quiet place to read. The first term dates from the mid-1400s, the second from the second half of the 1500s.
search me
I don't know the answer to that, as in Where's John?-Search me, I haven't seen him for weeks. This expression in effect means "you can investigate me completely for the information you want but you won't find it." [Slang; c. 1900]