How To Search Multiple Words / String Pattern Using grep Command on Bash Shell | Linux Today

How To Search Multiple Words / String Pattern Using grep Command on Bash Shell

Written By
n
nixCraft
Apr 26, 2022

How do I search multiple strings or words using the grep command? For example I’d like to search word1, word2, word3 and so on within /path/to/file. How do I force grep to search multiple words? How can I grep for multiple patterns on Linux, OS X, FreeBSD, or Unix-like system? What is the command to search multiple words in Linux?

n

nixCraft

Linux Today Logo

LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.