Google's Year In Search: What were the top searched terms in 2025?

Google has unveiled its 2025 Year in Search, highlighting the topics, personalities, and events that dominated global online attention throughout the year. Leading the charge was Googles own AI assistant, Gemini, underscoring the growing role of artificial intelligence in everyday life. Chinese AI firm DeepSeek also appeared in the top 10, thanks to its launch of a new chatbot in January.

One of the most searched news stories was the assassination of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk. He was fatally shot on September 10 while giving a speech at a university in Utah. The event sparked intense online conversation, with a mix of tributes, political commentary, and viral memes. It remained the most searched news story and the top searched death of the year, surpassing other notable figures such as Ozzy Osbourne, Hulk Hogan, and Michelle Trachtenberg.

In the realm of people searches, singer D4vd drew significant attention, though not for his music. The Los Angeles Police Department opened an investigation after the discovery of a 14-year-old girls body in his Tesla over the summer. Other highly searched individuals included Super Bowl performer Kendrick Lamar, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, and Tyler Robinson, the suspected murderer of Charlie Kirk, who ranked fourth globally.

Other prominent news topics included Iran, driven by a 12-day conflict with Israel in June, and the election of 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani as New York Citys mayor. The passing of Pope Francis and the subsequent selection of Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, also drew widespread search interest.

In entertainment, Oscar-winning film Anora and its lead actress Mikey Madison topped movie searches, followed by titles like The Minecraft Movie, Sinners, 28 Years Later, and Weapons. Romance novels were popular in searches, with Colleen Hoovers Regretting You leading the list, fueled by its October film adaptation. Rebecca Yarros Onyx Storm, the third book in her Empyrean series, also featured prominently.

Television trends were dominated by Netflixs true crime series Monster, which focused on US serial killer Ed Gein in its third season. Other popular shows included Adolescence, Severance, and White Lotus. The love triangle drama of The Summer I Turned Pretty remained a major social media trend as the shows final season aired.

Music searches highlighted Taylor Swifts The Life of a Showgirl album, but the most searched song lyrics were from Bad Bunnys DmTF.

Sports fans focused on athletes Terence Crawford, Rory McIlroy, and Shedeur Sanders, while also showing interest in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Interestingly, some viral trends did not make the global top searches. National searches revealed popular items like the film KPop Demon Hunters, the Labubu toy craze, and Dubai chocolate.

Author: Caleb Jennings