investigate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to examine, study, or inquire into systematically; search or examine into the particulars of; examine in detail.
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to search out and examine the particulars of in an attempt to learn the facts about something hidden, unique, or complex, especially in an attempt to find a motive, cause, or culprit.
The police are investigating the murder.
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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investigatornoun
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preinvestigatornoun
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preinvestigateverb
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reinvestigateverb
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investigableadjective
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investigativeadjective
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investigatoryadjective
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quasi-investigatedadjective
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uninvestigatedadjective
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uninvestigatingadjective
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uninvestigativeadjective
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uninvestigatoryadjective
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well-investigatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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investigatesimple
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investigatessimple
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have investigatedperfect
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has investigatedperfect
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am investigatingprogressive
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are investigatingprogressive
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is investigatingprogressive
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have been investigatingperfect progressive
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has been investigatingperfect progressive
Past
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investigatedsimple
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had investigatedperfect
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was investigatingprogressive
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were investigatingprogressive
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had been investigatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of investigate
First recorded in 1500–10; from Latin investīgātus, past participle of investīgāre “to follow a trail, search out”; see in- 2, vestige, -ate 1
Explanation
To investigate is to look into something systematically. If you don't understand how tornadoes work, for example, investigate the forces of wind and find out. Investigate still acts a lot like the word it comes from, investigationem meaning "a searching into," which came from the Latin for "to track a footprint." It's exactly what you do when you investigate. You can investigate in the name of science, which is to look into something systematically, like when you research how tornadoes work. If you investigate a person, you find out everything you can — and you might need to hire a private eye for help.
Vocabulary lists containing investigate
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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:
Those signals were difficult to investigate because scientists do not have sequenced DNA from most other extinct hominins.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
Critics argued that it flew in the face of innocent-before-proven-guilty parameters and that the job of police was to investigate, not adjudicate.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Ten items had not been removed at least 20 days later, showing Telegram had breached Australia's online safety rules by failing to investigate and take "timely action", the court statement said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
“Law enforcement officers use ‘reasonable suspicion’ to investigate immigration status and probable cause to make arrests consistent with the Fourth Amendment to the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Chapter Summary: Scientists are only recently beginning to investigate the relationship between music and the brain as the field of neuroscience develops.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Lizbeth Gwisdalla, who said the department regularly investigates these types of online rental scams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Julian O’Neill investigates how the unlawful snooping was exposed.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
WSJ’s Tomas Navia investigates how the company unraveled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Houston’s police department, which was not present when Salgado Araujo was shot, is not currently investigating, nor is the Department of Public Safety, which regularly investigates police shootings in the state.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
We all pretend to not be paying him any mind: I brush back Layla’s edges, Kayla investigates a sunflower seed, Marisol reads her Suze Orman book, and Janae pretends to be on the phone.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
Humala was the first of four Peruvian presidents to be investigated in connection with the Odebrecht scandal.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
McShane drew on her past experiences, including making the 2023 Channel 4 documentary “Russell Brand: In Plain Sight,” which investigated comedian Russell Brand’s treatment of women, to guide the interview process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said, “Our community deserves full transparency and accountability,” and the killing is being investigated as a homicide.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
The researchers also investigated why lifestyle intervention appeared to provide less protection for people in cluster 5.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
“On one of our stops, I saw this news report. There was an Amber Alert, and they said G’ma was also being investigated for a string of jewelry thefts.”
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
Greek police investigating the death of a Scottish woman whose body was found in a suitcase in Athens are trying to trace "American friends" she had planned to meet.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Jackson said he intends to argue that Flores made the recordings in the scope of his duties as a police officer, investigating misconduct within the workplace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Farrell is terrific, as always, as an empathetic gumshoe investigating a trail of crime and corruption that rings true to devotees of L.A. noir, from Raymond Chandler to “Chinatown” to Jordan Harper.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
The study provides a foundation for investigating whether ferulic acid could eventually be used in dietary interventions or supplements designed to regulate gut movement.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
She began reading about Islam, investigating the Qur’an.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
