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
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.
The new research looked at standard screening tools like the 30-point Mini-Mental State Examination, or MMSE.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
The researchers analyzed data from 16- to 24-year-olds who participated in the 2021-23 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026
The state’s highest court also ordered the State Bar to abandon its new system of multiple-choice questions and revert to the traditional Multistate Bar Examination for multiple-choice questions for its July bar exam.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2025
Kardashian has even gone to law school and passed the First-Year Law Students' Examination, sometimes referred to as the "baby bar."
From Salon • Jan. 13, 2025
Examination of Huaricanga and the surrounding communities is far from complete—Haas, Creamer, and Ruiz published their first findings in December 2004.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
