Examination during search (7)
I believe the answer is:
inquest
'examination' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'during search' is the wordplay.
'during' becomes 'in' (e.g. during February means in February).
'search' becomes 'quest' (quest is a kind of search).
'in'+'quest'='INQUEST'
(Other definitions for inquest that I've seen before include "Process overseen by coroner" , "What-went-wrong investigation" , "Coroner's jury" , "Judicial investigation to determine facts about a death" , "Coroner's case" .)