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:
The team next plans to examine the long-term effects of sparkling water on oral health.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 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
Bank of Japan is widely expected to keep interest rates on hold next week to examine the effects of its previous hike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Every day, prisoners examine their bodies, looking for signs of beriberi.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The more he examines his past, the less stable his patterns become.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The display will focus mostly on Mexican American cinema, but examines those films in conversation with Mexican features and other Spanish-language movies, made both in Hollywood and internationally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Her work examines whether a theory known as Gravity from Entropy can help explain how cosmic complexity emerges even as the Universe's total entropy increases.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 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
While she examines me, she asks me questions in a bright voice, about school and stuff.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
The researchers also examined dream reports collected during the COVID-19 lockdown by scientists at Sapienza University of Rome.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
They examined changes in gene activity and studied untreated mice to compare the rates of spontaneous tumor formation among the four strains.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Per the Washington Post, Davis-Mack claimed that a nurse who examined their daughter filed a report with the D.C.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
A psychiatrist who examined Truelove testified that he had symptoms of bipolar disorder, including depression and hallucinations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
He pulled it toward his face, squinting as he examined it.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
The prosecutor told U.N. investigators examining the allegations that he thought the aide was being influenced by outside parties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Snacks and baked goods posted some of the largest percentage jumps, according to Theme Park IQ, another website examining park trends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
"In early 2018, we began examining what needed to be done and how to structure the company to prepare it for the next generation."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
But after examining potential purchases including Spanish sides Malaga and Getafe and French club Bordeaux, FSG did not proceed with any of the deals and is now understood to have moved away from the model.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The giant kicked at the drakon’s remains, examining them critically.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
