在计算机科学中，线性搜索或顺序搜索是一种寻找某一特定值的搜索算法，指按一定的顺序检查数组中每一个元素，直到找到所要寻找的特定值为止。是最简单的一种搜索算法。

假设一个数组中有 n 个元素，最好的情况就是要寻找的特定值就是数组里的第一个元素，这样仅需要1次比较就可以。而最坏的情况是要寻找的特定值不在这个数组或者是数组里的最后一个元素，这就需要进行 n 次比较。

In computer science, linear search or sequential search is a method for finding a particular value in a list that checks each element in sequence until the desired element is found or the list is exhausted. The list need not be ordered.

Linear search is the simplest search algorithm; it is a special case of brute-force search. Its worst case cost is proportional to the number of elements in the list. Its expected cost is also proportional to the number of elements if all elements are searched equally. If the list has more than a few elements and is searched often, then more complicated search methods such as binary search or hashing may be appropriate. Those methods have faster search times but require additional resources to attain that speed.