How do I search for an exact string on unix or linux?

[blackrhino]

Also see:
grep(1), egrep(1), fgrep(1) 3.1 - print lines matching a pattern

Demo file.

apples
pears
bananas
oranges
oranges12
apples2

Search without an exact match.

$ grep apples demo
apples
apples2

Search with an exact match.

$ grep -x apples demo
apples