examine

American  

[ig-zam-in] / ɪgˈzæm ɪn /

verb (used with object)

examines, present (3rd person singular) examined, past participle, past examining present participle

1. to inspect or scrutinize carefully.

   to examine a prospective purchase.

   Synonyms:

   study, explore, probe, search, scrutinize, inspect

2. 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.

3. to inquire into or investigate.

   to examine one's motives.

   Synonyms:

   quiz

4. to test the knowledge, reactions, or qualifications of (a pupil, candidate, etc.), as by questions or assigning tasks.

5. 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.

---

examine British  

/ ɪɡˈzæmɪn /

verb

1. to look at, inspect, or scrutinize carefully or in detail; investigate

2. education to test the knowledge or skill of (a candidate) in (a subject or activity) by written or oral questions or by practical tests

3. law to interrogate (a witness or accused person) formally on oath

4. med to investigate the state of health of (a patient)

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• examiner
  noun
• preexaminer
  noun
• subexaminer
  noun
• superexaminer
  noun
• preexamine
  verb (used with object)
• examinable
  adjective
• examinatorial
  adjective
• examining
  adjective
• unexaminable
  adjective
• unexamined
  adjective
• unexamining
  adjective
• well-examined
  adjective
• examiningly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• examining
  present
• examined
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• examine
  simple
• examines
  simple
• have examined
  perfect
• has examined
  perfect
• am examining
  progressive
• are examining
  progressive
• is examining
  progressive
• have been examining
  perfect progressive
• has been examining
  perfect progressive

Past

• examined
  simple
• had examined
  perfect
• was examining
  progressive
• were examining
  progressive
• had been examining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will examine
  simple
• will have examined
  perfect
• will be examining
  progressive
• will have been examining
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

examine examines examined examining

I don’t say this to discourage you — in fact, I think more people should critically examine why they want to move up and whether it actually aligns with their skills and interests.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

They plan to examine how the tetrapod particles interact with the skin microbiome and continue working toward real-world applications.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

Using AI to examine signatures on ballot envelopes is a relatively new frontier, according to most experts consulted by ProPublica and the FBI tech specialist.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

Police told Farage it could take several weeks to examine digital devices they had seized.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

He let his eyes examine each of the remaining starting-point possibilities—top left, bottom left, and bottom right—and then, in a form of backward reasoning, tracked the path from the princess to the knight.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

The method examines the chemistry of ancient foraminifera, microscopic marine organisms whose remains are preserved in seafloor sediments.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026

Bernstein examines how easy it is to be swept away by an environment where consequences don’t seem real.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 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

BBC correspondent Barbara Plett Usher, reporting from Jerusalem, examines the latest tensions over the key international shipping channel.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

He checks his hair in the rearview mirror, examines the start of a pimple on his chin, puts his hood up, and slouches in the seat, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan

The remains of a third person were found at the location and are being examined.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

One Goldman Sachs economist examined the risk of those price spikes becoming normalized.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

Both horses were examined and found to be uninjured as reviews of both accidents are now undertaken.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

The deputies responded to the scene in personal work trucks rather than the department’s bomb truck and Osborn improperly examined the grenade and falsely reported it inert, according to the complaint.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

They’d all been prodded and tested, examined inside and out, and given fiendishly difficult tasks such as solving math problems while wearing headphones through which a friendly voice whispered incorrect answers.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

In March, the department said it was examining the medical schools at UC San Diego, Stanford and Ohio State, demanding seven years of admissions data.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Jessica Rindels published a report examining whether inflationary trends are widening across sectors.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

Both Luna and O’Handley deny any wrongdoing, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is reportedly examining the allegations.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

And examining exactly what an odyssey is and can be.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

“Indeed, mama, but you can—and will,” pronounced the haughty voice of Blanche, as she turned round on the piano-stool; where till now she had sat silent, apparently examining sundry sheets of music.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• audit
• check
• check out
• consider
• criticize
• delve into
• explore
• inspect
• investigate
• ponder
• pore over
• probe
• read
• research
• review
• scan
• screen
• scrutinize
• study
• survey