Discover the Hottest Google Searches of 2023

During the past few months, many people turned to Google to understand the Israel-Hamas war, as indicated by the tech giant's 2023 Year in Search data released on Monday. The data showed that people around the world were looking for information about Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza.

The year's top news trends in the US and worldwide were "War in Israel and Gaza," "What is Hamas," "What is happening in Israel," and "Why did Hamas attack," while the Titan submersible's implosion during a voyage to the Titanic wreck and the Turkey-Syria earthquake followed closely behind.

The annual Year in Search roundup from Google offers a glimpse into the people and phenomena that captured the public's interest and curiosity. The lists highlight search queries that experienced significant spikes in traffic compared to the previous year. In 2023, the data revealed stories that had people talking, including major news events like the war, Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest during an NFL game, and the passing of "Friends" star Matthew Perry and "Barbenheimer."

Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills safety, topped Google's list of trending people and athletes after his injury in January reignited a debate about safety in the NFL. Other notable names that dominated search trends in 2023 include actor Jeremy Renner, who survived a near-fatal accident, controversial influencer Andrew Tate, French soccer player Kylian Mbappé, and Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce, whose romance with Taylor Swift has consistently made headlines.

Google's list of top trending movies included "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," as well as the Bollywood blockbuster "Jawan," the crime thriller "Sound of Freedom" and "John Wick: Chapter 4." Meanwhile, HBO's post-apocalyptic drama "The Last of Us," along with Netflix's "Wednesday" and "Ginny and Georgia," topped the list of trending TV shows. In the world of music, Japanese duo Yoasobi's track "Idol (アイドル)" and Jason Aldean's controversial "Try That in a Small Town" were the top search inquiries for songs. Additionally, Google's list highlighted some of the notable people who passed away this year, with people mourning the deaths of Perry, Tina Turner and Sinead O'Connor.

This year's search trends have also shown changes in language and communication patterns. The 2023 Oxford word of the year, "Rizz," which essentially means "charisma" in popular slang, was the most frequently searched term for slang definitions. This category also included terms like "its giving," "cringe," and "no printer."