inspect
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to look carefully at or over; view closely and critically.
to inspect every part of the motor.
- Synonyms:
- study, investigate, scrutinize, examine
-
to view or examine formally or officially.
The general inspected the troops.
verb
-
to examine closely, esp for faults or errors
-
to scrutinize officially (a document, military personnel on ceremonial parade, etc)
Other Word Forms
- inspectability noun
- inspectable adjective
- inspectingly adverb
- inspection noun
- inspectional adjective
- inspective adjective
- preinspect verb (used with object)
- quasi-inspected adjective
- reinspect verb (used with object)
- self-inspected adjective
- uninspected adjective
- well-inspected adjective
Etymology
Origin of inspect
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin inspectus “looked into,” past participle of inspicere “to look into,” from in in- 2 + -spicere, combining form of specere “to look, regard, see”
Explanation
When you inspect something, you look at it carefully. When you're buying a used car, you should inspect it inside and out, and if you don't know much about what goes on under the hood, you should have a mechanic inspect it, too. Inspect means literally "to look into," and includes the Latin root that you find in lots of other words related to "look" — spectacle, respect, and spectator for instance. If you work in a restaurant, you may see a health department official come to inspect the operation, to make sure everything is clean and the food is stored and cooked properly and that the restaurant doesn't have any health code violations that might make your diners sick.
Vocabulary lists containing inspect
Common Senses: Spec, Spect, Spic ("Look")
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Copper Sun
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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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.
Beyond that, Fix said “it’s not cheap but it’s worth it” to get a local mechanic to inspect the car for some peace of mind.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour, making sure to inspect and flip the crackers around the 30-minute mark.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026
In July of that year, the Code Enforcement division of the Planning Department dropped in to inspect and cited Quirky for code violations: litter, outdoor storage, tents erected at a place other than a campsite.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
Every once in a while, workers dressed in white with hats and masks inspect the process, alongside artificial-intelligence technology used for quality control.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
They came over to inspect my castle keep.
From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson
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.
