open-ended search
noun phraseUK /ˌəʊpən ˈɛndɪd sɜːtʃ/
US /ˌoʊpən ˈɛndɪd sɜrtʃ/
A search that has no fixed answer, so you keep looking until you decide to stop.
The teacher gave us an open-ended search for ideas about saving water.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A computer search that keeps going until it finds what it needs or runs out of places to look.
The program ran an open-ended search through all the folders.
3. A question or task that lets you choose your own way to answer it.
Our project was an open-ended search for ways to help the school.
4. A hunt for information that has no set time limit.
The scientists began an open-ended search for a new kind of plant.