search warrant

noun

: a warrant authorizing a search (as of a house) for stolen goods or unlawful possessions

Examples of search warrant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The charges stem from an incident on Feb. 28 when agents with the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection were serving search warrants in South Los Angeles. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025 In a previously-unreported motion filed by the Pennsylvania DOJ office in February, prosecutors accused Microsoft of failing to provide data from unnamed users’ email accounts in response to a December search warrant filed by the Drug Enforcement Agency. Thomas Brewster, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025 On Monday, Homeland Security Investigations agents executed search warrants at his mansions in Los Angeles and at 2 Star Island Drive in Miami Beach. Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 13 May 2025 Roxbury drug bust Boston Police reported a 27-year-old arrested Friday after a search warrant allegedly turned up fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs. Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 11 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for search warrant

Word History

First Known Use

1739, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of search warrant was in 1739

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Search warrant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/search%20warrant. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

search warrant

noun
: a warrant making legal a search of a specified place (as a house) for stolen goods or unlawful possessions (as illegal drugs)

Legal Definition

search warrant

see warrant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!