investigate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
investigates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
investigated,
past participle, past
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investigating
present participle
-
to examine, study, or inquire into systematically; search or examine into the particulars of; examine in detail.
-
to search out and examine the particulars of in an attempt to learn the facts about something hidden, unique, or complex, especially in an attempt to find a motive, cause, or culprit.
The police are investigating the murder.
verb (used without object)
-
investigates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
investigated,
past participle, past
-
investigating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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investigatornoun
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preinvestigatornoun
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preinvestigateverb
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reinvestigateverb
-
investigableadjective
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investigativeadjective
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investigatoryadjective
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quasi-investigatedadjective
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uninvestigatedadjective
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uninvestigatingadjective
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uninvestigativeadjective
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uninvestigatoryadjective
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well-investigatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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investigatesimple
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investigatessimple
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have investigatedperfect
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has investigatedperfect
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am investigatingprogressive
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are investigatingprogressive
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is investigatingprogressive
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have been investigatingperfect progressive
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has been investigatingperfect progressive
Past
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investigatedsimple
-
had investigatedperfect
-
was investigatingprogressive
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were investigatingprogressive
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had been investigatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of investigate
First recorded in 1500–10; from Latin investīgātus, past participle of investīgāre “to follow a trail, search out”; see in- 2, vestige, -ate 1
Explanation
To investigate is to look into something systematically. If you don't understand how tornadoes work, for example, investigate the forces of wind and find out. Investigate still acts a lot like the word it comes from, investigationem meaning "a searching into," which came from the Latin for "to track a footprint." It's exactly what you do when you investigate. You can investigate in the name of science, which is to look into something systematically, like when you research how tornadoes work. If you investigate a person, you find out everything you can — and you might need to hire a private eye for help.
Vocabulary lists containing investigate
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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:
Det Ch Insp Justin Bryant said officers were continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ms Samuels' death and to provide answers for her family.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Shortly after the Iran war began, Citrini sent an analyst to the Strait of Hormuz to investigate in person the situation on the ground.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
To investigate, the researchers examined fluid taken from the joints of six patients during both their first arthritis episode and a later recurrence.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
This makes optogenetics a powerful way to investigate how the brain works.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
Ophie had no time to investigate who might have placed the band of salt in Mrs. Caruthers’s bedroom.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
His research investigates magnetism, spintronics, and quantum materials.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
A senior Justice Department official last month invited Shepard to come to Justice Department headquarters and make his case before the Office of Professional Responsibility, or OPR, an internal watchdog that investigates allegations of misconduct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Chason Gordon investigates the rise of produce bred for perfection, and argues that there are unintended consequences to making fruit too delicious.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
It starts out pretty well as a shoe-leather detective show, as Neagley investigates the death of an old friend who walked naked into the path of an elevated train.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
August is still fussing with Rosie’s chain, but it won’t be long before he notices Marlena’s absence and investigates.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
But Kearns has written to Andy Burnham about the handling of sensitive national security information, asking whether the government has investigated the posts and whether he retains full confidence in his adviser.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
More than half a century later, the Justice Department is reviewing whether the special prosecutor’s office that investigated the Watergate break-in committed misconduct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
"Residents can be assured that any credible evidence of a risk to human health or the environment will be thoroughly considered and investigated through the appropriate regulatory processes."
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
An international research team led by Lund University investigated how the Kikai-Akahoya eruption changed population patterns across Japan.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
The cops investigated, but neither Don Little nor anyone else ever said a word about what everyone assumed to be true.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
"That lead broke the case open," said Captain Tim Lawrence of Madison County Sheriff's Office, which was responsible for investigating the crime.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Indonesian authorities were investigating on Tuesday after a car-sized piece of what a government agency said was a Chinese space rocket crashed into a palm oil plantation near homes and work sites.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
Officers investigating Sperino's murder realised AI could help them wade through the mountains of evidence they had accumulated since 1993.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Both involve questions about what Americans eat, but investigating foodborne illness requires a rather different kind of governmental attention.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026
In a resolution, which cited each of them by name, the council said, “We express our sincere gratitude for the splendid work done in the matter of investigating and bringing to justice the parties charged.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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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.
