review

[ ri-vyoo ]

noun

1. a critical article or report, as in a periodical, on a book, play, recital, or the like; critique; evaluation.
2. the process of going over a subject again in study or recitation in order to fix it in the memory or summarize the facts.
3. an exercise designed or intended for study of this kind.
4. a general survey of something, especially in words; a report or account of something.
5. an inspection or examination by viewing, especially a formal inspection of any military or naval force, parade, or the like.
6. a periodical publication containing articles on current events or affairs, books, art, etc.:

   a literary review.

7. a judicial reexamination, as by a higher court, of the decision or proceedings in a case.
8. a second or repeated view of something.

   Synonyms: reexamination, reconsideration

9. a viewing of the past; contemplation or consideration of past events, circumstances, or facts.
10. Bridge. a recapitulation of the bids made by all players.
11. Theater. revue.

verb (used with object)

1. to go over (lessons, studies, work, etc.) in review.
2. to view, look at, or look over again.
3. to inspect, especially formally or officially:

   to review the troops.

4. to survey mentally; take a survey of:

   to review the situation.

5. to discuss (a book, play, etc.) in a critical review; write a critical report upon.

   Synonyms: criticize

6. to look back upon; view retrospectively.
7. to present a survey of in speech or writing.
8. Law. to reexamine judicially:

   a decision to review the case.

9. Bridge. to repeat and summarize (all bids made by the players).

verb (used without object)

1. to write reviews; review books, movies, etc., as for a newspaper or periodical:

   He reviews for some small-town newspaper.

review

/ rɪˈvjuː /

verb

1. to look at or examine again

   to review a situation

2. to look back upon (a period of time, sequence of events, etc); remember

   he reviewed his achievements with pride

3. to inspect, esp formally or officially

   the general reviewed his troops

4. to read through or go over in order to correct
5. law to re-examine (a decision) judicially
6. to write a critical assessment of (a book, film, play, concert, etc), esp as a profession

noun

1. Also calledreviewal the act or an instance of reviewing
2. a general survey or report

   a review of the political situation

3. a critical assessment of a book, film, play, concert, etc, esp one printed in a newspaper or periodical
4. 1. a publication containing such articles
   2. ( capital when part of a name )

      the Saturday Review

5. a second consideration; re-examination
6. a retrospective survey
7. a formal or official inspection
8. the process of rereading a subject or notes on it, esp in preparation for an examination Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)revision
9. law judicial re-examination of a case, esp by a superior court
10. See revue
    a less common spelling of revue

Derived Forms

• reˈviewer, noun
• reˈviewable, adjective

Other Words From

• re·viewa·ble adjective
• re·viewa·bili·ty noun
• re·viewless adjective
• nonre·viewa·bili·ty noun
• nonre·viewa·ble adjective
• prere·view noun verb (used with object)
• rere·view verb
• unre·viewa·ble adjective
• unre·viewed adjective
• well-re·viewed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of review¹

First recorded in 1555–65; from Middle French revue, noun use of feminine past participle of revoir “to see again,” ultimately from Latin revidēre, equivalent to re- re- + vidēre “to see”; view

Word History and Origins

Origin of review¹

C16: from French, from revoir to see again, from Latin re- re- + vidēre to see

Synonym Study

Review, criticism imply careful examination of something, formulation of a judgment, and statement of the judgment, usually in written form. A review is a survey over a whole subject or division of it, or especially an article making a critical reconsideration and summary of something written: a review of the latest book on Chaucer. A criticism is a judgment, usually in an article, either favorable or unfavorable or both: a criticism of a proposed plan. The words are interchanged when referring to motion pictures or theater, but review implies a somewhat less formal approach than criticism in referring to literary works: movie reviews; play reviews; book reviews.

Example Sentences

When in doubt, scour budget blanket reviews to make sure the one you’re eyeing will satisfy your dreams.

From Popular-Science

The task force was meant to conclude its review and give advice in time for administrators to update the 2021-2022 academic calendar.

From Washington Post

Marshall wrote in an email to VOSD that the Housing Commission staff have done an expansive review of research and methods other jurisdictions have used.

From Voice of San Diego

If your business has a great review rating and flattering reviews, you’re very likely to earn a spot in the Google 3-Pack.

From Search Engine Watch

After earning rave reviews early in the pandemic, Newsom is now under heavy fire, even from allies, for his handling of the coronavirus.

From FiveThirtyEight

In an email exchange a friend said many had repeated this same succinct review but they could never elaborate.

From The Daily Beast

“[I]ndeed, the Civil War was more or less administered from there,” an Esquire review asserts.

From The Daily Beast

The tweets linking to the National Review, that bastion of LGBT equality.

From The Daily Beast

In any case, I welcome the conversation as part of the review of the upcoming slate that we're doing tomorrow.

From The Daily Beast

John L. Smith is a columnist with the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

From The Daily Beast

And now I am going on to a review of the broad facts of the educational organization of our present world.

From Project Gutenberg

We haven't even seen a review of the piece; the footlights go up with a jump, and now the curtain rises.

From Project Gutenberg

Nothing will be easier then to throw the Poles into the shade of the picture, or to occupy the foreground with a brilliant review.

From Project Gutenberg

She did not perceive that she was talking like her father as the sleek geldings ambled in review before them.

From Project Gutenberg

It would have been a sort of review—in the face of the city of Dublin, in open defiance of all order and government.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• assess
• discuss
• evaluate
• examine
• inspect
• revise
• study

More About Review

What is a basic definition of review?

A review is judgement or discussion of the quality of something. Review also means to go over a subject again as part of study or to look at something another time. Review has many other senses as both a noun and a verb.

A review is a critique of something—a look at something’s good and bad points. Reviews are very common in every industry, and many people rely on them to learn more about something they are interested in, especially something they want to buy. A person who writes a review is a reviewer.

• Real-life examples: You can find reviews of almost anything online, such as movies, books, vacation spots, and schools. Websites like Amazon, Google Maps, and Rotten Tomatoes offer reviews of things. Most companies will even boast about good reviews that they get.
• Used in a sentence: I want to see the new movie because I heard it got good reviews. 

Review is used in this sense as a verb to mean to write or otherwise create (like a video) a review of something.

• Used in a sentence: Cho began her career by reviewing television shows for her YouTube channel. 

Review is also used to mean to go over a subject again to master it or to remember the material better. Your school teachers likely reviewed previous lessons with your class more than once before a test. When studying a new language, you will review words and grammar rules many times to help commit them to memory.

• Real-life examples: One of the main reasons teachers assign homework is so students will review the topics they learned that day. College students will often review an entire semester’s worth of notes the night before an important exam.
• Used in a sentence: Diego reviewed the geometry chapters with his tutor to understand the math better. 

Review is used in this sense as a noun to refer to an exercise or session that involves reviewing subject matter.

• Used in a sentence: Prof. Lopez led the review of the properties of the noble gases. 

As a verb, review can also mean to read, view, or look at something again.

• Real-life examples: Someone putting together furniture will likely review the directions many times before they’re done. A chef will review a recipe that they are trying for the first time to make sure they don’t make a mistake. A writer will review their work for errors or grammar mistakes before giving it to an editor.
• Used in a sentence: Lola reviewed her letter to Santa Claus to make sure she included everything she wanted. 

Where does review come from?

The first records of review come from around 1555. It ultimately comes from a combination of the Latin revidēre, meaning “to see again.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to review?

• reviewer (noun)
• reviewable (adjective)
• reviewability (noun)
• reviewless (adjective)
• nonreviewability (noun)

What are some synonyms for review?

• critique
• report
• analyze
• assess
• criticism
• reexamine
• revise

What are some words that share a root or word element with review? 

• view
• reviewer
• reviewal
• review copy

What are some words that often get used in discussing review?

• critic
• judge
• movie
• music
• video game
• quiz
• test

How is review used in real life?

Review is a very common word that often refers to criticisms of products or to reexamining information to understand it better.

I’m happy to announce that, after almost a year, I have watched every episode of the Simpsons available on disney+. My review: pretty good.

— Mac Bacon (@therealmacbacon) December 1, 2020

Spanish teacher: We’ll review for the exam tomorrow. The entire class: Um the exam is tomorrow?

— Carson Artrip (@CarsonArtrip) December 19, 2017

Battery works! Got it up and running. Now I just need to review the directions on how to use the darn thing.

— batgrl1970 (@batgrl1970) May 7, 2009

Try using review!

Is review used correctly in the following sentence?

Most critic reviews of the movie said it was terrible and not worth the ticket price.