diff --git a/Misc/ACKS b/Misc/ACKS
index d50cb3c2d1ee4f..169afc6eb383e4 100644
--- a/Misc/ACKS
+++ b/Misc/ACKS
@@ -640,6 +640,7 @@ Tiago Gonçalves
 Chris Gonnerman
 Shelley Gooch
 David Goodger
+Michał Górny
 Elliot Gorokhovsky
 Hans de Graaff
 Tim Graham
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2022-10-25-11-53-55.gh-issue-98636.e0RPAr.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2022-10-25-11-53-55.gh-issue-98636.e0RPAr.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..26a7cc8acaf243
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2022-10-25-11-53-55.gh-issue-98636.e0RPAr.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Fix a regression in detecting ``gdbm_compat`` library for the ``_gdbm``
+module build.
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 946218fd8d8568..224bfaa80da47b 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -14703,6 +14703,7 @@ fi
 { ac_cv_header_gdbm_ndbm_h=; unset ac_cv_header_gdbm_ndbm_h;}
 
 if test "$ac_cv_header_gdbm_slash_ndbm_h" = yes -o "$ac_cv_header_gdbm_dash_ndbm_h" = yes; then
+  { ac_cv_search_dbm_open=; unset ac_cv_search_dbm_open;}
   save_CFLAGS=$CFLAGS
 save_CPPFLAGS=$CPPFLAGS
 save_LDFLAGS=$LDFLAGS
@@ -14762,7 +14763,9 @@ $as_echo "$ac_cv_search_dbm_open" >&6; }
 ac_res=$ac_cv_search_dbm_open
 if test "$ac_res" != no; then :
   test "$ac_res" = "none required" || LIBS="$ac_res $LIBS"
-
+  have_gdbm_compat=yes
+else
+  have_gdbm_compat=no
 fi
 
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 22028972cb3d19..8f6a9c24fcb039 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -4118,8 +4118,9 @@ AS_VAR_IF([ac_cv_header_gdbm_dash_ndbm_h], [yes], [
 AS_UNSET([ac_cv_header_gdbm_ndbm_h])
 
 if test "$ac_cv_header_gdbm_slash_ndbm_h" = yes -o "$ac_cv_header_gdbm_dash_ndbm_h" = yes; then
+  AS_UNSET([ac_cv_search_dbm_open])
   WITH_SAVE_ENV([
-    AC_SEARCH_LIBS([dbm_open], [gdbm_compat])
+    AC_SEARCH_LIBS([dbm_open], [gdbm_compat], [have_gdbm_compat=yes], [have_gdbm_compat=no])
   ])
 fi