examine
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to inspect or scrutinize carefully.
to examine a prospective purchase.
-
to observe, test, or investigate (a person's body or any part of it), especially in order to evaluate general health or determine the cause of illness.
-
to inquire into or investigate.
to examine one's motives.
- Synonyms:
- quiz
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to test the knowledge, reactions, or qualifications of (a pupil, candidate, etc.), as by questions or assigning tasks.
-
to subject to legal inquisition; put to question in regard to conduct or to knowledge of facts; interrogate.
to examine a witness;
to examine a suspect.
verb
-
to look at, inspect, or scrutinize carefully or in detail; investigate
-
education to test the knowledge or skill of (a candidate) in (a subject or activity) by written or oral questions or by practical tests
-
law to interrogate (a witness or accused person) formally on oath
-
med to investigate the state of health of (a patient)
Other Word Forms
- examinable adjective
- examinatorial adjective
- examiner noun
- examining adjective
- examiningly adverb
- preexamine verb (used with object)
- preexaminer noun
- subexaminer noun
- superexaminer noun
- unexaminable adjective
- unexamined adjective
- unexamining adjective
- well-examined adjective
Etymology
Origin of examine
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French examiner, from Latin exāmināre “to weigh, examine, test,” equivalent to exāmin- (stem of exāmen examen ) + -āre, infinitive ending
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Researchers confirmed that the fossil belonged to a juvenile by examining growth patterns in a thin section of its femur bone.
From Science Daily
When Gleick wrote his dissertation at UC Berkeley in the 1980s, he examined a range of climate scenarios and analyzed how rising temperatures would likely change the timing of runoff in Northern California.
From Los Angeles Times
The claim alleges that Kelley-Eklund and Osborn failed to properly examine and handle the grenade, and says Lemus was not expecting a live device to be present at the training center.
From Los Angeles Times
The study examined the difference between the price of crude oil and the price of fuel at the pump between January and February 2026, and the first three weeks of the war in March.
From Barron's
Instead of relying on modern samples, she examined old cans of salmon.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
