Chercher is the most common way to say "to look for" in French. But there are several other options. As you navigate conversations in French, you'll often find yourself needing to express the act of searching or seeking something. Let's explore nine different ways to say "to look for" in French, adding nuance and variety to your vocabulary!

The standard 'to look for' – chercher

The standard 'to look for' – chercher

Chercher is the most common and versatile French verb for 'to look for' or 'to search for'.

Unlike English, chercher directly takes its object, meaning you don't use a preposition like 'pour' (for) after it. You simply 'chercher quelque chose' (look for something).

As a regular -er verb, chercher follows standard conjugation patterns, making it relatively easy to learn and use in various tenses.

Chercher can also mean 'to fetch,' 'to go get,' or 'to pick up' someone or something. This usage implies going to a place to retrieve the object or person.

When followed by the preposition à and an infinitive verb (chercher à faire quelque chose), it means 'to try to do something' or 'to seek to do something'.

In some idiomatic expressions, chercher can take on different meanings, such as chercher des noises (to look for trouble) or chercher la petite bête (to nitpick, literally 'to look for the small beast').

It's important to distinguish chercher (to look for) from trouver (to find). You chercher something until you trouver it.

💡 * Je cherche mes clés. (I'm looking for my keys.)

• Il est allé chercher les enfants à l'école. (He went to pick up the children from school.)
• Nous cherchons à comprendre la situation. (We are trying to understand the situation.)
• Arrête de chercher des noises ! (Stop looking for trouble!)
• Elle cherche un nouveau travail. (She is looking for a new job.)

To search, to research, or to seek intensely – rechercher

The verb rechercher is a versatile French verb that translates broadly to 'to search,' 'to look for,' or 'to research.'

While similar to chercher, rechercher often implies a more intense, thorough, or sustained effort in searching. It's not just a casual look, but a deeper investigation or quest.

Its most direct and common translation is 'to research.' When you are conducting an academic study, looking into a topic in depth, or performing scientific inquiry, rechercher is the appropriate verb.

Beyond formal research, rechercher can also be used when you are actively seeking something that is lost, rare, or requires significant effort to find. Think of searching for a specific, hard-to-find item or a quality in someone.

The key difference from chercher (to look for) lies in this intensity. If you're just looking for your keys, chercher is fine. If you're undertaking a detailed investigation or a profound search, rechercher is more fitting.

You might also use rechercher to describe actively trying to find a particular quality in a person or a specific type of individual for a role, like 'rechercher un candidat qualifié' (to seek a qualified candidate).

In essence, rechercher conveys a sense of purpose, depth, and often, a higher stakes search than its simpler counterpart.

💡 *Les scientifiques recherchent de nouveaux traitements. (Scientists are researching new treatments.)
*Je recherche un appartement avec trois chambres. (I am looking for an apartment with three bedrooms.)
*Elle a recherché la vérité pendant des années. (She searched for the truth for years.)
*Nous recherchons un talent exceptionnel pour ce poste. (We are seeking exceptional talent for this position.)
*Il a recherché ses lunettes partout, mais ne les a pas trouvées. (He searched everywhere for his glasses, but didn't find them.)

To rummage through, to dig for – fouiller

The French verb fouiller translates primarily to 'to rummage through,' 'to search,' or 'to dig for.' It implies a thorough, often somewhat messy, exploration.

When you use fouiller, you'll often see it followed by prepositions like dans (in/into) or parmi (among) to indicate where the rummaging or digging is taking place.

One common use is to describe searching through a collection of items, like rummaging through a bag, a drawer, or a pile of clothes to find something specific.

It can also mean to physically 'dig' into something, such as digging in the ground, in a pile of sand, or through debris.

Fouiller can extend to a more figurative sense, meaning to 'dig for' information, to investigate deeply, or to scrutinize a subject.

Fouiller is a regular -ER verb, which means its conjugation follows the standard pattern for verbs ending in -er (e.g., je fouille, tu fouilles, il/elle/on fouille, nous fouillons, vous fouillez, ils/elles fouillent).

The core idea behind fouiller is an active, often somewhat disordered, search or exploration, whether physical or intellectual, aimed at uncovering something.

💡 * Il a fouillé dans ses poches pour trouver ses clés. (He rummaged in his pockets to find his keys.)

• Les archéologues fouillent le site depuis des mois. (The archaeologists have been digging the site for months.)
• Elle a fouillé les documents pour trouver la réponse. (She dug through the documents to find the answer.)
• Ne fouille pas dans mes affaires ! (Don't rummage through my things!)
• Il aime fouiller dans les vieux livres. (He likes to dig through old books.)

To explore, to investigate – explorer

The verb explorer in French means 'to explore' or 'to investigate'.

Its most direct translation is to explore, used when talking about discovering new places, ideas, or even emotions. It implies venturing into the unknown or unfamiliar.

Beyond physical exploration, explorer also carries the meaning of to investigate or to examine something in depth. This can apply to problems, theories, medical conditions, or even personal feelings.

Explorer is a regular -ER verb, making its conjugation patterns straightforward. It's frequently encountered in the present tense, passé composé, and imperfect tenses.

💡 *Nous aimons explorer de nouvelles villes. (We love to explore new cities.)
*Le détective explore toutes les pistes. (The detective is investigating all leads.)
*Elle a exploré ses sentiments après la rupture. (She explored her feelings after the breakup.)
*Les scientifiques explorent les fonds marins. (Scientists are exploring the seabed.)
*Il faut explorer toutes les options avant de décider. (We must examine all options before deciding.)

To scrutinize, to scan, to examine closely – scruter

The verb scruter in French means “to scrutinize,” “to scan,” or “to examine closely.”

Scruter implies a very attentive and often prolonged examination, going beyond a simple glance. It suggests an effort to discover, analyze, or understand something in detail.

Unlike regarder (to look) or even examiner (to examine), scruter carries a stronger sense of intensity and thoroughness. You scrutez when you are actively searching for information, details, or a hidden meaning.

You would use scruter when talking about looking for something specific in a crowd, analyzing data, searching the horizon, or studying someone's face for a reaction. It often suggests a careful, sometimes suspicious, observation.

Scruter is a regular -ER verb, making its conjugation straightforward. It’s a common and very useful verb to express deep observation in various contexts.

Remember scruter when you want to convey a sense of intense, deliberate, and detailed visual examination, where the observer is actively seeking to uncover or understand something specific.

💡 * Le détective a scruté la scène de crime à la recherche d'indices. (The detective scrutinized the crime scene looking for clues.)

• Elle scrutait l'horizon avec une longue-vue. (She scanned the horizon with a spyglass.)
• J'ai scruté son visage pour y lire une quelconque émotion. (I scrutinized his face to read any emotion there.)
• Les astronomes scrutent le ciel nocturne pour découvrir de nouvelles étoiles. (Astronomers scrutinize the night sky to discover new stars.)

To track, to follow a trail – pister

The verb pister in French directly translates to “to track” or “to follow a trail.” It refers to the act of following someone or something, often with the intention of finding them or observing their movements.

Its most common literal application involves following traces or tracks, like a hunter pister un animal (to track an animal) or a detective pister un suspect (to track a suspect). It implies a careful, often clandestine, pursuit.

Beyond physical pursuit, pister can also be used in a more figurative sense. For example, you can pister l'évolution d'un projet (to track the evolution of a project) or pister les données de ventes (to track sales data). In these contexts, it means to monitor or keep tabs on something.

Pister is a regular -ER verb, meaning its conjugations follow the standard pattern for verbs ending in -er. For example, in the present tense: je piste, tu pistes, il/elle/on piste, nous pisons, vous pistez, ils/elles pistent.

Whether you're literally following footprints or metaphorically monitoring trends, pister is a versatile verb for describing the act of tracking. It often carries a connotation of close observation and systematic pursuit.

💡 * Le chasseur a passé la journée à pister le cerf dans la forêt. (The hunter spent the day tracking the deer in the forest.)

• La police piste le suspect depuis plusieurs heures. (The police have been tracking the suspect for several hours.)
• Nous devons pister les progrès de nos étudiants attentivement. (We must track our students' progress carefully.)
• Les cookies permettent aux sites web de pister votre activité en ligne. (Cookies allow websites to track your online activity.)
• Il est important de pister les dépenses pour rester dans le budget. (It's important to track expenses to stay within budget.)

To go in search of, to set out to find – partir à la recherche de

The French phrase partir à la recherche de means 'to go in search of' or 'to set out to find.' It describes the act of actively seeking something or someone.

This expression implies a deliberate and often extensive effort to locate or discover a person, an object, or even an abstract concept. It's used when someone embarks on a quest or an active search.

The construction involves conjugating the verb partir (to leave/depart) to match the subject, followed by the fixed phrase à la recherche de, and then the noun or pronoun indicating what is being sought. For instance, partir à la recherche de l'aventure (to go in search of adventure).

💡 * Les explorateurs sont partis à la recherche de nouvelles terres. (The explorers set out to find new lands.)

• Après le vol, la police est partie à la recherche des preuves. (After the robbery, the police went in search of evidence.)
• Il a dû partir à la recherche d'un nouveau travail. (He had to go in search of a new job.)
• Nous sommes partis à la recherche de champignons dans la forêt. (We went in search of mushrooms in the forest.)

To be looking for (something specific, a state) – être à la recherche de

To express the idea of 'to be looking for' something specific or a particular state in French, the phrase être à la recherche de is commonly used.

This phrase directly translates to 'to be in search of' and implies a more formal or deliberate search than simply chercher. It's often used when the search is ongoing, significant, or for something abstract like a job, an apartment, or a solution.

Remember that être à la recherche de always requires the preposition de (or its variations du, de la, des, d') before the object being sought.

You'll frequently encounter this phrase in contexts like job hunting (être à la recherche d'un emploi), finding housing (être à la recherche d'un appartement), or seeking solutions (être à la recherche de solutions).

💡 *Il est à la recherche d'un nouveau poste. (He is looking for a new position.)
*Nous sommes à la recherche de la vérité. (We are looking for the truth.)
*Elle est à la recherche d'un appartement depuis des mois. (She has been looking for an apartment for months.)
*L'entreprise est à la recherche de talents. (The company is looking for talent.)

To unearth, to ferret out, to find something hidden – dénicher

The French verb dénicher translates directly to 'to unearth,' 'to ferret out,' or 'to find something hidden.' It implies a successful search for something not easily found.

At its core, dénicher originally referred to 'taking a bird out of its nest' or 'finding something hidden in a nook.' The prefix dé- indicates an action of removal or undoing, while nicher means 'to nest' or 'to be nestled.'

Today, dénicher is most commonly used in a figurative sense to mean 'to find,' 'to discover,' or 'to unearth' something that was difficult to find, rare, or hidden. It often implies a sense of effort, cleverness, or luck in the discovery.

You might dénicher a rare antique in a flea market, a unique talent, a good deal, or even a crucial piece of information. It's frequently used when talking about finding something special, unusual, or previously unknown.

Dénicher is a regular -er verb, meaning it follows the standard conjugation patterns for verbs ending in -er. For example, in the present tense: je déniche, tu déniches, il/elle déniche, nous dénichons, vous dénichez, ils/elles dénichent.

💡 * J'ai déniché une vieille carte au trésor dans le grenier. (I unearthed an old treasure map in the attic.)

• Elle a déniché une robe vintage magnifique dans une friperie. (She ferreted out a magnificent vintage dress in a thrift store.)
• Les journalistes ont réussi à dénicher des informations exclusives. (The journalists managed to unearth exclusive information.)
• Il a déniché un petit restaurant charmant que personne ne connaissait. (He found a charming little restaurant that no one knew about.)
• Nous avons déniché un talent prometteur pour notre équipe. (We unearthed a promising talent for our team.)

Are there other ways to say 'to look for' in French?

Are there other ways to say “to look for” in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say “to look for” in French. But there are other terms, from old-fashioned ones, to regional ones, to up-and-coming slang ones this middle-aged author might not even be aware of!

You can also do an online search for “comment dire chercher en ___” followed by a specific Francophone country or region.

You might find some interesting synonyms for chercher on this list. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different ways to talk about looking for things.

And if you’re looking for ways to talk about different nuances of 'to look for,' or words related to searching in French, the WordReference entry for chercher is a great place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful. Here’s what I think is the perfect quote to finish it with, courtesy of a common French proverb: Qui cherche trouve. (He who seeks, finds.)