# Semantic Search

> Semantic search matches content to a query by meaning and intent rather than exact keywords, using vector embeddings to compare concepts. It is why AI engines can pull your page for a question that does not contain your exact phrasing, and why writing for intent beats writing for keyword strings.

- Updated: 2026-05-31
- Canonical: https://geotoolbox.ai/glossary/semantic-search

---

Because semantic search compares meaning, near-synonyms and related concepts count. A page that clearly covers a topic can surface for many phrasings of the same intent.

This is the engine behind query fan-out and retrieval: sub-queries are matched to candidate passages by semantic similarity, not literal keyword overlap.