examine
Americanverb (used with object)
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to inspect or scrutinize carefully.
to examine a prospective purchase.
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to observe, test, or investigate (a person's body or any part of it), especially in order to evaluate general health or determine the cause of illness.
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to inquire into or investigate.
to examine one's motives.
- Synonyms:
- quiz
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to test the knowledge, reactions, or qualifications of (a pupil, candidate, etc.), as by questions or assigning tasks.
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to subject to legal inquisition; put to question in regard to conduct or to knowledge of facts; interrogate.
to examine a witness;
to examine a suspect.
verb
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to look at, inspect, or scrutinize carefully or in detail; investigate
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education to test the knowledge or skill of (a candidate) in (a subject or activity) by written or oral questions or by practical tests
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law to interrogate (a witness or accused person) formally on oath
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med to investigate the state of health of (a patient)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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examinernoun
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preexaminernoun
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subexaminernoun
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superexaminernoun
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preexamineverb (used with object)
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examinableadjective
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examinatorialadjective
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examiningadjective
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unexaminableadjective
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unexaminedadjective
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unexaminingadjective
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well-examinedadjective
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examininglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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examinesimple
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examinessimple
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have examinedperfect
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has examinedperfect
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am examiningprogressive
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are examiningprogressive
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is examiningprogressive
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have been examiningperfect progressive
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has been examiningperfect progressive
Past
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examinedsimple
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had examinedperfect
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was examiningprogressive
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were examiningprogressive
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had been examiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of examine
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French examiner, from Latin exāmināre “to weigh, examine, test,” equivalent to exāmin- (stem of exāmen examen ) + -āre, infinitive ending
Explanation
The verb examine means to study something carefully and in great detail. You can examine a book, a painting, a person’s face and so on. Right now, you are examining the meaning of examine. Examine means to look at something very closely and usually with the purpose of making a judgment. If you go to see a doctor, the doctor will examine you to see if you are healthy. Examine can also mean “question.” When the police examine a witness, they are questioning that witness. Along these same lines, examine can also be used to mean “test.” You might examine, or test, your friend’s knowledge of biology by asking him repeated questions about that subject.
Vocabulary lists containing examine
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 5
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 3
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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:
For clues on the timing and pace of future action, markets will closely examine the bank’s latest economic and inflation forecasts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
We look into the buzz and examine the science, risks and benefits behind the controversial gut-health trend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Some historians have also begun to examine the period of the American Revolution through an LGBTQ+ lens.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Their teams are developing instruments that the Venus orbiter will use to examine the planet's surface.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
She lit one of the candles so that she might examine the pictures more closely.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
In our Saturday Essay, Pamela Paul examines the growing divide over whether sociology’s mission is to pursue objective truth or advance social change, and what that means beyond academia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Rather than analyzing words, however, this Transformer examines patterns among the scintillation photons recorded by the detector.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
The BBC's Gary O'Donoghue examines what the policy reveals about Hegseth's vision for a more "manly" military.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
As Singh tries to prevent that from happening, his efforts are transposed with Gaitonde’s story, an epic tale that examines the nature of power amid the city’s religious and economic tensions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
He examines a copy of Streeters Precious Stones and Gems; drawings of cleavage panes; trigonometric charts used for faceting.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
SConnect said the ruling should only apply to the videos examined in the sample, but the judge declared that all Wolfoo videos should now be removed.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The judge said clips from Peppa Pig were found in all 92 English-language Wolfoo videos that were examined, and about 75% of the foreign-language videos.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The researchers also examined several cytokines, signaling molecules that help coordinate immune activity.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
The performance gap between the Russell benchmarks caught some investors off guard—until they examined the list of names leading value’s glorious comeback: a cadre of technology companies, including some of the Magnificent Seven.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Clare plucked one from the air and examined the face of the old green human staring back.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Takhar and Yash Shah, a doctoral student in FSHN, reported their results in two new publications examining the physical changes that occur when French fries are cooked with microwave energy.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
Dr. Heather Rogers, a dermatologist in Seattle and founder of the Doctor Rogers skincare line, told me that there are few modern scientific studies examining beef tallow as a skincare ingredient.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
By examining trends in educational attainment, labor force shifts and the effects of social media and AI, it can offer a grand-scale picture of societal health.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
The Lampard Inquiry is examining the deaths of more than 2,000 mental health patients in Essex over a 24-year period.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Beowulf was too busy examining the velocipede to comment.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
