inspect

American  

[in-spekt] / ɪnˈspɛkt /

verb (used with object)

1. to look carefully at or over; view closely and critically.

   to inspect every part of the motor.

   Synonyms:

   study, investigate, scrutinize, examine

2. to view or examine formally or officially.

   The general inspected the troops.

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inspect British  

/ ɪnˈspɛkt /

verb

1. to examine closely, esp for faults or errors

2. to scrutinize officially (a document, military personnel on ceremonial parade, etc)

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Other Word Forms

• inspectability noun
• inspectable adjective
• inspectingly adverb
• inspection noun
• inspectional adjective
• inspective adjective
• preinspect verb (used with object)
• quasi-inspected adjective
• reinspect verb (used with object)
• self-inspected adjective
• uninspected adjective
• well-inspected adjective

Etymology

Origin of inspect

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin inspectus “looked into,” past participle of inspicere “to look into,” from in in- ² + -spicere, combining form of specere “to look, regard, see”

Explanation

When you inspect something, you look at it carefully. When you're buying a used car, you should inspect it inside and out, and if you don't know much about what goes on under the hood, you should have a mechanic inspect it, too. Inspect means literally "to look into," and includes the Latin root that you find in lots of other words related to "look" — spectacle, respect, and spectator for instance. If you work in a restaurant, you may see a health department official come to inspect the operation, to make sure everything is clean and the food is stored and cooked properly and that the restaurant doesn't have any health code violations that might make your diners sick.

Example Sentences

Beyond that, Fix said “it’s not cheap but it’s worth it” to get a local mechanic to inspect the car for some peace of mind.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

In July of that year, the Code Enforcement division of the Planning Department dropped in to inspect and cited Quirky for code violations: litter, outdoor storage, tents erected at a place other than a campsite.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

All of its software is open-source, which means third parties can inspect the code and verify that it performs as advertised.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

“It is time for the State of California to use its legal and moral authority to inspect private detention facilities, hold bad actors accountable and close facilities with consistent, documented cases of human rights abuses.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

She had snuck up to inspect our visitor.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Related Words

• audit
• check out
• go through
• investigate
• observe
• oversee
• probe
• review
• scan
• scrutinize
• search
• supervise
• survey
• watch