investigation

[in-ves-ti-gey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or process of investigating or the condition of being investigated.

   Synonyms: exploration, scrutiny

2. a searching inquiry for ascertaining facts; detailed or careful examination.

   Synonyms: exploration, scrutiny

investigation

/ ɪnˌvɛstɪˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of investigating; a careful search or examination in order to discover facts, etc

Other Word Forms

• investigational adjective
• preinvestigation noun
• reinvestigation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of investigation¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English investigacio(u)n from Latin investīgātiōn- (stem of investīgātiō ). See investigate, -ion

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Homeowners who say that botched insulation under government schemes left them living in mouldy conditions are calling for an investigation into the problem to be widened.

Read more on BBC

"We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation. We are unable to comment further while this process is under way," Mark Fifield said.

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He emerged in September to a strange new world, in which crypto was now politically fashionable—a reversal from the Biden administration’s efforts to crack down on the industry through regulation, lawsuits and criminal investigations.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The FBI’s Art Crime team is a highly specialized unit of 20 agents trained in investigation theft, fraud and forgery of artwork as well as cultural-property trafficking.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• analysis 
• case 
• examination 
• hearing 
• inquiry 
• inspection 
• probe 
• research 
• review 
• scrutiny 
• search 
• study 
• survey 

When To Use

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.