searched
v.v. to look carefully for something or someone that is hidden or lost. You do this when you need to find information or an object.
v. to examine a place, person, or data set thoroughly in order to find something. Transitive when the object is the location being examined; takes the preposition 'for' when the object is the item being sought.
I searched my pockets for the keys.
The rescue team searched the entire forest for the missing hiker until sunset.
Historians have searched through thousands of archived letters to find evidence of the secret treaty, but the original document remains elusive.
The verb is transitive when the object is the place being inspected ('searched the room') but requires 'for' when the object is the goal ('searched for the truth').
I searched my phone in the bagI searched for my phone in the bagIf the object is the thing you want to find, you must use 'search for'. Using 'search' alone implies you are looking inside the object itself.