inspection

[in-spek-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of inspecting or viewing, especially carefully or critically.

   an inspection of all luggage on the plane.

2. formal or official viewing or examination.

   an inspection of the troops.

Other Word Forms

• inspectional adjective
• preinspection noun
• reinspection noun
• self-inspection noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inspection¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English inspeccio(u)n, from Latin inspectiōn- (stem of inspectiō ). See inspect, -ion

Synonym Study

See examination.

Example Sentences

An inspection of maternity care at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh said some women waiting for labour to be induced had experienced delays of more than 24 hours.

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The Scottish government say "significant progress" has been made in the last 20 years in reducing infant mortality and neonatal deaths, while a new programme of maternity unit inspections is helping to raise standards.

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Hazards like damp and mould must be inspected within 10 working days, and made safe within five, after the inspection.

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“A park ranger could have very easily parked his or her truck, and walked a few-minute hike to top of the trail and just done a visual inspection,” Robertson said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Take an issue like termites, Gonzales says: it’s much less of a setback—and could be less expensive—to identify and fix the issue before a prospective buyer uncovers it during an inspection.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• analysis 
• checkup 
• inquiry 
• investigation 
• probe 
• research 
• review 
• scrutiny 
• search 
• supervision 
• surveillance 
• survey 

When To Use

What is an inspection?

An inspection is an instance of viewing, examining, or critically analyzing something with the purpose of improving it or highlighting something. Inspections are often done to identify specific problems or aspects of something. For example, you might perform an inspection of your body after walking in the woods to see if any ticks have attached themselves to you.An inspection can also be a formal examination of something or someone to see if they meet specific requirements. A vehicle inspection, for example, is performed by a trained professional who reviews your vehicle against a list of safety checks to ensure your car is safe to drive.Example: My whole fleet of trucks will be up for a safety inspection in a few months.