What is an operator? A search engine operator is a special character or word that refines search queries. Used in engines like Google, they help users find specific results by targeting websites, file types, date ranges, and more.
When performing a Keyword Search, you can search for a single word or phrase, or use operators (also known as booleans or connectors) to refine your search. The supported operators include:
Search Operator | What it does | Example | Explanation |
AND | Search for results related to X and Y | Robotic AND Car
| All search results will contain both the words "Robotic" and "car" |
OR | Search for results related to X or Y. | Robotic OR Car | All search results will contain either "Robotic," "Car," or both |
" " | Searches for an exact word or phrase | "Robotic Car" | All search results will contain the exact phrase "Robotic Car" |
- | Excludes a word from search results | Robotic -Car | All search results will contain the word "robotic" but not "car" |
* | * at the end of a term signifies a prefix query | Robot* | All search results will contain a word starting with the prefix 'robot' (e.g., robot, robotics, robotize, robotism) |
( ) | Group multiple searches. | (Robotic OR Toy) Car | All search results will include the word "Car" and either "Robotic" or "Toy" |
~ | ~# is a proximity search | "Robotic Car"~3 | The word "Robotic" will appear within 3 words of the word "Car" |
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