examine
Americanverb (used with object)
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examines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
examined,
past participle, past
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examining
present participle
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to inspect or scrutinize carefully.
to examine a prospective purchase.
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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.
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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
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to look at, inspect, or scrutinize carefully or in detail; investigate
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education to test the knowledge or skill of (a candidate) in (a subject or activity) by written or oral questions or by practical tests
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law to interrogate (a witness or accused person) formally on oath
-
med to investigate the state of health of (a patient)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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examinernoun
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preexaminernoun
-
subexaminernoun
-
superexaminernoun
-
preexamineverb (used with object)
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examinableadjective
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examinatorialadjective
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examiningadjective
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unexaminableadjective
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unexaminedadjective
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unexaminingadjective
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well-examinedadjective
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examininglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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examinesimple
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examinessimple
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have examinedperfect
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has examinedperfect
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am examiningprogressive
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are examiningprogressive
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is examiningprogressive
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have been examiningperfect progressive
-
has been examiningperfect progressive
Past
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examinedsimple
-
had examinedperfect
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was examiningprogressive
-
were examiningprogressive
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had been examiningperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
The verb examine means to study something carefully and in great detail. You can examine a book, a painting, a person’s face and so on. Right now, you are examining the meaning of examine. Examine means to look at something very closely and usually with the purpose of making a judgment. If you go to see a doctor, the doctor will examine you to see if you are healthy. Examine can also mean “question.” When the police examine a witness, they are questioning that witness. Along these same lines, examine can also be used to mean “test.” You might examine, or test, your friend’s knowledge of biology by asking him repeated questions about that subject.
Vocabulary lists containing examine
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 5
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 3
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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.
See Examples For:
Scientists could examine fossilized skulls from ancient jawless fish for anatomical evidence that might help establish whether these early animals possessed an optic chiasm and optic tectum.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
It also ordered 10 Singapore-registered firms to appoint assessors to examine their operations.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
They decided to examine them after they responded to the magnet's pull.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
The probe would also examine how the pilots and air-traffic controllers decided the plane’s flight path.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
Every day, prisoners examine their bodies, looking for signs of beriberi.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
To investigate these connections, the research team studied 46 children between the ages of seven and 10 who were enrolled in the ongoing BrainChild study, which examines factors contributing to diabetes and obesity.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
The show also examines Bowie's many Scottish concerts and the impact they had on fans.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
An upcoming exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, previewed by AFP, examines the ambiguity.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
One of the best is “The Shire: A Sociopolitical Survey,” in which the author examines the civic arrangements of the Hobbits’ homeland and Middle-earth generally.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
He examines me and tells my mother I have a bad cold and keep me in bed.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Haney renewed his argument that the hillside was not secured after the Jan. 1 fire and had burned a second time before federal investigators examined it, destroying potential evidence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
The scientists then examined whether repeated treatment could produce sustained changes in body weight.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
Among the areas it examined was the definition of domestic abuse and The Act's recognition of children – like Holly - as victims.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
TRM examined thousands of documents published by WikiIran, a website that posts leaked payment instructions, invoices and transaction records from companies allegedly involved in Iranian trade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
The doctor examined him, and said that Karli should be kept warm at all costs, and that the more water we could get him to drink the better.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
The latest study combined new observations and looked at fragments of the stone in museum collections, examining structure, minerals and composition.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Instead of physically isolating and examining hundreds of thousands of peptides, the program analyzed the roughly 20,000 genes that encode human proteins, looking for sequences where the enzyme was likely to make cuts.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
Park said the ministry was treating the incident as a data leak rather than a hacking attack, and was examining computers and email accounts used to prepare the presidential trip.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
The investigation follows a Wall Street Journal article examining the billing and collection practices of the Perfect Child.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
The god of the pit flexed his fingers, examining his own polished black talons.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
