How do I search for a pattern and land on a specific line offset from the match?

Explanation

Vim's search command accepts an offset that places your cursor on a line relative to the match. The pattern /pattern/+3 finds the match and then moves the cursor 3 lines below it, while /pattern/-2 lands 2 lines above.

How it works

/function/+1    " Land 1 line below the match (the function body)
/function/-1    " Land 1 line above the match
/^class/+0      " Land on the match itself (default)
/pattern/e       " Land on the end of the match
/pattern/b+2     " Land 2 characters after the beginning of the match

Example

You want to jump to the line after each function definition:

/^func /+1

This finds func at the start of a line and positions your cursor on the next line — the first line of the function body.

Other offset types

Tips

• Offsets persist for n and N — each subsequent match uses the same offset
• Reset by searching without an offset: /pattern
• Works with ? (backward search) too: ?pattern?+2
• This is especially powerful in substitute commands: they use the same offset semantics
• Documented under :help search-offset