examination
Americannoun
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the act of examining; inspection; inquiry; investigation.
- Synonyms:
- observation
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the state of being examined.
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the act or process of testing pupils, candidates, etc., as by questions.
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the test itself; the list of questions asked.
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the answers, statements, etc., made by one examined.
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Law. formal interrogation.
noun
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the act of examining or state of being examined
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education
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written exercises, oral questions, or practical tasks, set to test a candidate's knowledge and skill
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( as modifier )
an examination paper
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med
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physical inspection of a patient or parts of his body, in order to verify health or diagnose disease
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laboratory study of secretory or excretory products, tissue samples, etc, esp in order to diagnose disease
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law the formal interrogation of a person on oath, esp of an accused or a witness
Synonym Usage
Examination, inspection, scrutiny refer to a looking at something. An examination usually means a careful noting of details: A thorough examination of the plumbing revealed a defective pipe. An inspection is a formal and official examination: an inspection of records, a military inspection. Scrutiny implies a critical and minutely detailed examination: The papers seemed to be in good order, but they would not stand close scrutiny. See also investigation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of examination
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English examinacioun, from Middle French, Old French examinacion, examination, “interrogation,” from Latin exāminātiōn- (stem of exāminātiō ). See examine, -ation
Explanation
The most familiar and unpleasant meaning of examination, known to students around the world, is a test of one's knowledge in a particular area — an exam, in short. The original meaning of examination was considerably more spiritual — a test of one's conscience rather than a test of one's knowledge of algebra or French verbs. Any form of close inspection or analysis is an examination, not just a set of questions on a piece of paper. A doctor will give you an examination of your body if you're sick, and don't, for pity's sake, buy a used car without a careful examination under the hood. Kicking the tires just won't cut it.
Vocabulary lists containing examination
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
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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:
Its true purpose only became clear after scientists recently carried out a more detailed examination of objects recovered from the site.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
This isn’t “an examination controversy that got out of hand,” said Bhaskar Pant, partner at Policy Monks, a New Delhi-based policy organization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
"They also assured us that parliament would hold a full debate on the issue and on improving accountability in the education and examination system," he said on social media.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
A close examination of where the rubber meets the road.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
He dropped the boot to the floor, removed Booth’s sock, pushed his pant leg up his calf, and began the examination.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Post-mortem examinations were completed on 80% of those animals.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
In the room with LaPorte was Larry Stewart, a forensic expert hired by Hsieh’s family, who also conducted his own examinations of the document.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
"I couldn't concentrate at all," said the 21-year-old who is studying political science while preparing for government examinations.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
Sentencing, Judge Huw Rees said these examinations should have been performed by qualified doctors and Eburne flouted the rules in a "brazen" manner.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Olive was preparing to take county examinations after a stretch in the secondary school in Salinas.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
