{
  "altLabels": [
    "ANN Search",
    "ANNS"
  ],
  "definition": "A search method that returns near-neighbor results using an approximation strategy to trade some exactness for lower latency, memory use, or computational cost.",
  "derivedRelations": [
    {
      "target": "reverse-image-search",
      "type": "related"
    }
  ],
  "distinctions": [
    {
      "reason": "Approximate nearest neighbor search is an efficiency method for neighbor lookup; dense retrieval is a retrieval approach using dense representations.",
      "statement": "Approximate Nearest Neighbor Search is not Dense Retrieval.",
      "target": "dense-retrieval",
      "targetLabel": "Dense Retrieval",
      "targetUri": "https://id.searchplex.net/dense-retrieval/"
    },
    {
      "reason": "HNSW is one approximate nearest neighbor method; approximate nearest neighbor search is the broader method family.",
      "statement": "Approximate Nearest Neighbor Search is not HNSW.",
      "target": "hnsw",
      "targetLabel": "HNSW",
      "targetUri": "https://id.searchplex.net/hnsw/"
    },
    {
      "reason": "Approximate nearest neighbor search is one family of methods used in vector search; vector search is the broader practitioner term for retrieval over vector representations.",
      "statement": "Approximate Nearest Neighbor Search is not Vector Search.",
      "target": "vector-search",
      "targetLabel": "Vector Search",
      "targetUri": "https://id.searchplex.net/vector-search/"
    }
  ],
  "id": "approximate-nearest-neighbor-search",
  "kind": "Method",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/",
  "links": [
    {
      "label": "Approximate Nearest Neighbor Search in High Dimensions",
      "type": "canonicalSurvey",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/1806.09823"
    }
  ],
  "modifiedAt": "2026-09-14T06:43:46Z",
  "prefLabel": "Approximate Nearest Neighbor Search",
  "publisher": {
    "name": "Searchplex",
    "url": "https://searchplex.net/"
  },
  "relations": [
    {
      "note": "Approximate nearest neighbor search is an efficiency method for neighbor lookup; dense retrieval is a retrieval approach using dense representations.",
      "target": "dense-retrieval",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "note": "HNSW is one approximate nearest neighbor method; approximate nearest neighbor search is the broader method family.",
      "target": "hnsw",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "note": "Approximate nearest neighbor search is one family of methods used in vector search; vector search is the broader practitioner term for retrieval over vector representations.",
      "target": "vector-search",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "target": "dense-retrieval",
      "type": "related"
    },
    {
      "target": "hnsw",
      "type": "related"
    },
    {
      "target": "single-vector-retrieval",
      "type": "related"
    },
    {
      "target": "vector-search",
      "type": "related"
    },
    {
      "target": "retrieval",
      "type": "usedFor"
    }
  ],
  "representations": {
    "html": "https://id.searchplex.net/approximate-nearest-neighbor-search/",
    "json": "https://id.searchplex.net/approximate-nearest-neighbor-search.json",
    "jsonld": "https://id.searchplex.net/approximate-nearest-neighbor-search.jsonld"
  },
  "scheme": "https://id.searchplex.net/scheme/",
  "scopeNote": "Approximate nearest neighbor search is widely used in vector search and dense retrieval systems, especially at large scale. It is not the same as vector search itself, because vector search may use exact search, approximate search, or other retrieval mechanisms.",
  "status": "published",
  "uri": "https://id.searchplex.net/approximate-nearest-neighbor-search/"
}