investigation
Americannoun
-
investigations
plural
-
the act or process of investigating or the condition of being investigated.
- Synonyms:
- exploration, scrutiny
-
a searching inquiry for ascertaining facts; detailed or careful examination.
- Synonyms:
- exploration, scrutiny
noun
Usage
What does investigation mean? An investigation is a thorough search for facts, especially those that are hidden or need to be sorted out in a complex situation. The goal of an investigation is usually to determine how or why something happened. Investigations are usually formal and official. The word is commonly associated with police investigations of criminal activity, but it is used in many other contexts to refer to the process of investigating—systematically finding and examining evidence. Example: After a six-month investigation, this news organization uncovered widespread corruption.
Synonym Usage
Investigation, examination, inquiry, research express the idea of an active effort to find out something. An investigation is a systematic, minute, and thorough attempt to learn the facts about something complex or hidden; it is often formal and official: an investigation of a bank failure. An examination is an orderly attempt to obtain information about or to make a test of something, often something presented for observation: a physical examination. An inquiry is an investigation made by asking questions rather than by inspection, or by study of available evidence: an inquiry into a proposed bond issue. Research is careful and sustained investigation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of investigation
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English investigacio(u)n from Latin investīgātiōn- (stem of investīgātiō ). See investigate, -ion
Explanation
If something has gone missing, conduct an investigation to find it. To do this, seek out details associated with its disappearance, asking questions and gathering evidence in order to find out what happened to it. If you watch a lot of detective shows, it won’t surprise you to learn that the noun investigation traces back to the Latin words in-, meaning “into,” and vestigium, meaning “footprint, track.” An investigation may not always involve people looking for footprints at a crime scene, but that methodical gathering of details and other evidence associated with a crime or wrongdoing is at the heart of any investigation.
Vocabulary lists containing investigation
Florida EOC Biology 1
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Edge: Academic Vocabulary
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Miranda v. Arizona (1966): Syllabus
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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:
"The exact circumstances are yet to be established and the investigation into the incident remains ongoing," they said.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The investigation sputtered for decades because of a lack of evidence, but the case was revived when Davis's memoirs were published in 2019.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting a parallel investigation into both companies, according to their regulatory filings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
“This is clearly the type of investigation that the ‘where is this going?’ conversation could easily still be continuing in January of 2028,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The official investigation was closed, and a devastating verdict was issued: “There is no ground to hope that Mona Lisa will ever resume her place in the Louvre.”
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
The results, Quiñones noted, could fuel both criminal and immigration investigations.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
These catalogs are designed to make specialized scientific investigations easier by organizing and enhancing information derived from the main survey data.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
The rift hurt some longstanding investigations because leaders of the old unit worried they wouldn’t receive recognition for enforcement actions in which they did all the work, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
No charges have been filed, and investigations can conclude without charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Plato had a mathematician’s sensibility—his investigations into reality took place in the mind alone.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
