examine
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to inspect or scrutinize carefully.
to examine a prospective purchase.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
to look at, inspect, or scrutinize carefully or in detail; investigate
-
education to test the knowledge or skill of (a candidate) in (a subject or activity) by written or oral questions or by practical tests
-
law to interrogate (a witness or accused person) formally on oath
-
med to investigate the state of health of (a patient)
Other Word Forms
- examinable adjective
- examinatorial adjective
- examiner noun
- examining adjective
- examiningly adverb
- preexamine verb (used with object)
- preexaminer noun
- subexaminer noun
- superexaminer noun
- unexaminable adjective
- unexamined adjective
- unexamining adjective
- well-examined adjective
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
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.
To reach their conclusions, the team examined the taxonomic records of roughly 2 million species from across all major forms of life.
From Science Daily
“Father Mother Sister Brother” is divided into three chapters, each examining a separate family.
From Los Angeles Times
In this study, controlled living conditions made it possible to examine indirect genetic effects in a new context.
From Science Daily
Daniel and his colleagues examined what happens if only the coherent portion of the exiting light is counted as work, while the incoherent portion is treated as heat.
From Science Daily
Lawmakers in both parties have said they are examining legal options to force more transparency.
From BBC
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.
