examination
Americannoun
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examinations
plural
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the act of examining; inspection; inquiry; investigation.
- Synonyms:
- observation
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the state of being examined.
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the act or process of testing pupils, candidates, etc., as by questions.
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the test itself; the list of questions asked.
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the answers, statements, etc., made by one examined.
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Law. formal interrogation.
noun
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the act of examining or state of being examined
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education
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written exercises, oral questions, or practical tasks, set to test a candidate's knowledge and skill
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( as modifier )
an examination paper
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med
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physical inspection of a patient or parts of his body, in order to verify health or diagnose disease
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laboratory study of secretory or excretory products, tissue samples, etc, esp in order to diagnose disease
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law the formal interrogation of a person on oath, esp of an accused or a witness
Synonym Usage
Examination, inspection, scrutiny refer to a looking at something. An examination usually means a careful noting of details: A thorough examination of the plumbing revealed a defective pipe. An inspection is a formal and official examination: an inspection of records, a military inspection. Scrutiny implies a critical and minutely detailed examination: The papers seemed to be in good order, but they would not stand close scrutiny. See also investigation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of examination
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English examinacioun, from Middle French, Old French examinacion, examination, “interrogation,” from Latin exāminātiōn- (stem of exāminātiō ). See examine, -ation
Explanation
The most familiar and unpleasant meaning of examination, known to students around the world, is a test of one's knowledge in a particular area — an exam, in short. The original meaning of examination was considerably more spiritual — a test of one's conscience rather than a test of one's knowledge of algebra or French verbs. Any form of close inspection or analysis is an examination, not just a set of questions on a piece of paper. A doctor will give you an examination of your body if you're sick, and don't, for pity's sake, buy a used car without a careful examination under the hood. Kicking the tires just won't cut it.
Vocabulary lists containing examination
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, 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:
"I am studying for my university entrance examination next year," said a 16-year-old Grade 12 student.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Huntsinger calls the new film “an even more complex, emotional, deep and profound examination of what we call the call of the wild.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
She said a post mortem examination took place on Saturday but the result had been withheld for investigation reasons.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
A new examination of royal mummies from Egypt's Middle Kingdom now suggests that at least some of these women were physically trained to handle such weapons.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
Instead, Garfield's bullet wound had been contaminated with bacteria by his own doctors, starting with the first examination on the dirty floor of the railroad depot.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
They also faced pressure to finish examinations as fast as possible, given only three weeks to complete their work when they used to have eight weeks.
From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026
Accreditation determines whether other states will accept a state’s solvency examinations and, in practice, places intense pressure on legislatures to enact specified model laws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
"It looked like a genuine opportunity," said Vharance Goodho, who borrowed money for police clearance certificates, medical examinations and other expenses.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
After reviewing extensive mental health examinations of Lavie by defense experts, Judge Diego H. Edber questioned her truthfulness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
We were registered with no draft board, we had taken no physical examinations.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
