diff --git a/runtime/doc/eval.txt b/runtime/doc/eval.txt
index f59c7f4..cb612ca 100644
--- a/runtime/doc/eval.txt
+++ b/runtime/doc/eval.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-*eval.txt*	For Vim version 7.4.  Last change: 2015 Dec 03
+*eval.txt*	For Vim version 7.4.  Last change: 2015 Dec 28
 
 
 		  VIM REFERENCE MANUAL	  by Bram Moolenaar
@@ -5228,14 +5228,15 @@
 		move.  No error message is given.
 
 		{flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
-		'b'	search backward instead of forward
-		'c'	accept a match at the cursor position
+		'b'	search Backward instead of forward
+		'c'	accept a match at the Cursor position
 		'e'	move to the End of the match
 		'n'	do Not move the cursor
-		'p'	return number of matching sub-pattern (see below)
-		's'	set the ' mark at the previous location of the cursor
-		'w'	wrap around the end of the file
-		'W'	don't wrap around the end of the file
+		'p'	return number of matching sub-Pattern (see below)
+		's'	Set the ' mark at the previous location of the cursor
+		'w'	Wrap around the end of the file
+		'W'	don't Wrap around the end of the file
+		'z'	start searching at the cursor column instead of zero
 		If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
 
 		If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
@@ -5243,6 +5244,12 @@
 		flag.
 
 		'ignorecase', 'smartcase' and 'magic' are used.
+		
+		When the 'z' flag is not given seaching always starts in
+		column zero and then matches before the cursor are skipped.
+		When the 'c' flag is present in 'cpo' the next search starts
+		after the match.  Without the 'c' flag the next search starts
+		one column further.
 
 		When the {stopline} argument is given then the search stops
 		after searching this line.  This is useful to restrict the
diff --git a/src/eval.c b/src/eval.c
index 2668f3d..a2d2939 100644
--- a/src/eval.c
+++ b/src/eval.c
@@ -16471,6 +16471,7 @@
 #define SP_START	0x10	    /* accept match at start position */
 #define SP_SUBPAT	0x20	    /* return nr of matching sub-pattern */
 #define SP_END		0x40	    /* leave cursor at end of match */
+#define SP_COLUMN	0x80	    /* start at cursor column */
 
 static int get_search_arg __ARGS((typval_T *varp, int *flagsp));
 
@@ -16512,6 +16513,7 @@
 				 case 'p': mask = SP_SUBPAT; break;
 				 case 'r': mask = SP_REPEAT; break;
 				 case 's': mask = SP_SETPCMARK; break;
+				 case 'z': mask = SP_COLUMN; break;
 			     }
 			  if (mask == 0)
 			  {
@@ -16530,7 +16532,7 @@
 }
 
 /*
- * Shared by search() and searchpos() functions
+ * Shared by search() and searchpos() functions.
  */
     static int
 search_cmn(argvars, match_pos, flagsp)
@@ -16562,6 +16564,8 @@
 	options |= SEARCH_START;
     if (flags & SP_END)
 	options |= SEARCH_END;
+    if (flags & SP_COLUMN)
+	options |= SEARCH_COL;
 
     /* Optional arguments: line number to stop searching and timeout. */
     if (argvars[1].v_type != VAR_UNKNOWN && argvars[2].v_type != VAR_UNKNOWN)
diff --git a/src/search.c b/src/search.c
index 74398e3..1145558 100644
--- a/src/search.c
+++ b/src/search.c
@@ -578,6 +578,7 @@
  * if (options & SEARCH_KEEP) keep previous search pattern
  * if (options & SEARCH_FOLD) match only once in a closed fold
  * if (options & SEARCH_PEEK) check for typed char, cancel search
+ * if (options & SEARCH_COL) start at pos->col instead of zero
  *
  * Return FAIL (zero) for failure, non-zero for success.
  * When FEAT_EVAL is defined, returns the index of the first matching
@@ -599,6 +600,7 @@
 {
     int		found;
     linenr_T	lnum;		/* no init to shut up Apollo cc */
+    colnr_T	col;
     regmmatch_T	regmatch;
     char_u	*ptr;
     colnr_T	matchcol;
@@ -711,12 +713,14 @@
 		/*
 		 * Look for a match somewhere in line "lnum".
 		 */
+		col = at_first_line && (options & SEARCH_COL) ? pos->col
+								 : (colnr_T)0;
 		nmatched = vim_regexec_multi(&regmatch, win, buf,
-						      lnum, (colnr_T)0,
+					     lnum, col,
 #ifdef FEAT_RELTIME
-						      tm
+					     tm
 #else
-						      NULL
+					     NULL
 #endif
 						      );
 		/* Abort searching on an error (e.g., out of stack). */
@@ -1098,6 +1102,7 @@
 
 /*
  * Return the number of the first subpat that matched.
+ * Return zero if none of them matched.
  */
     static int
 first_submatch(rp)
diff --git a/src/testdir/test_alot.vim b/src/testdir/test_alot.vim
index 21a5241..f15a2dc 100644
--- a/src/testdir/test_alot.vim
+++ b/src/testdir/test_alot.vim
@@ -2,5 +2,6 @@
 " This makes testing go faster, since Vim doesn't need to restart.
 
 source test_lispwords.vim
+source test_searchpos.vim
 source test_sort.vim
 source test_undolevels.vim
diff --git a/src/testdir/test_searchpos.vim b/src/testdir/test_searchpos.vim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a1e024
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/testdir/test_searchpos.vim
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+" Tests for searchpos()
+
+func Test_searchpos()
+  new one
+  0put ='1a3'
+  1put ='123xyz'
+  call cursor(1, 1)
+  call assert_equal([1, 1, 2], searchpos('\%(\([a-z]\)\|\_.\)\{-}xyz', 'pcW'))
+  call cursor(1, 2)
+  call assert_equal([2, 1, 1], searchpos('\%(\([a-z]\)\|\_.\)\{-}xyz', 'pcW'))
+  set cpo-=c
+  call cursor(1, 2)
+  call assert_equal([1, 2, 2], searchpos('\%(\([a-z]\)\|\_.\)\{-}xyz', 'pcW'))
+  call cursor(1, 3)
+  call assert_equal([1, 3, 1], searchpos('\%(\([a-z]\)\|\_.\)\{-}xyz', 'pcW'))
+
+  " Now with \zs, first match is in column 0, "a" is matched.
+  call cursor(1. 3)
+  call assert_equal([2, 4, 2], searchpos('\%(\([a-z]\)\|\_.\)\{-}\zsxyz', 'pcW'))
+  " With z flag start at cursor column, don't see the "a".
+  call cursor(1. 3)
+  call assert_equal([2, 4, 1], searchpos('\%(\([a-z]\)\|\_.\)\{-}\zsxyz', 'pcWz'))
+
+  set cpo+=c
+  " close the window
+  q!
+
+endfunc
diff --git a/src/version.c b/src/version.c
index 67f8d77..5a5a59c 100644
--- a/src/version.c
+++ b/src/version.c
@@ -742,6 +742,8 @@
 static int included_patches[] =
 {   /* Add new patch number below this line */
 /**/
+    984,
+/**/
     983,
 /**/
     982,
diff --git a/src/vim.h b/src/vim.h
index 729c45a..11b9119 100644
--- a/src/vim.h
+++ b/src/vim.h
@@ -930,6 +930,7 @@
 #define SEARCH_MARK  0x200  /* set previous context mark */
 #define SEARCH_KEEP  0x400  /* keep previous search pattern */
 #define SEARCH_PEEK  0x800  /* peek for typed char, cancel search */
+#define SEARCH_COL  0x1000  /* start at specified column instead of zero */
 
 /* Values for find_ident_under_cursor() */
 #define FIND_IDENT	1	/* find identifier (word) */