A linear search is a simple algorithm used to find a specific value in a list or array. It works by checking each element one by one, starting from the first item and moving sequentially through the list until the desired value is found or the end of the list is reached. This method is straightforward but can be slow for large datasets. This search technique is often used when the list is unsorted or when the dataset is small. While linear search is easy to implement, its efficiency decreases as the size of the list increases, making it less suitable for larger collections compared to more advanced algorithms like binary search.