summer *OR* olympics (or strongly preferred: both) db.articles.find( { '$text' : { '$search' : "Summer Olympics" } } ); *phrase* "Summer Olympics" db.articles.find( { '$text' : { '$search' : "\"Summer Olympics\"" } } ); phrase "wild flowers" *OR* Sydney db.articles.find( { '$text' : { '$search' : "\"wild flowers\" Sydney" } } ); wild *AND* flowers db.articles.find( { '$text' : { '$search' : "\"wild\" \"flowers\"" } } ); industry *ANDNOT* Melbourne *ANDNOT* Physics db.articles.find( { '$text' : { '$search' : "industry *-*Melbourne *-*Physics" } } );