A system that incorporates a user context into a computer-based search is provided. To establish the context, the innovation can identify information about a user state or context via a variety of sources and sensors. The state/context information can be used to filter, arrange and/or rank search results so as to facilitate converging on meaningful searches and results. Machine learning systems (implicitly and/or explicitly trained) can be employed to infer a current and/or future context related to user. An identified or inferred user context can be employed to modify an automated or user-defined search input/query. Contextual cues can be considered directly in the construction and use of context of context-sensitive retrieval algorithms that are optimized for identifying and/or ranking of informational items of potential interest or value in different contexts. As well, the context can be employed to intelligently render results of a query (e.g., user/application defined, context-modified query).