investigate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
investigates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
investigated,
past participle, past
-
investigating
present participle
-
to examine, study, or inquire into systematically; search or examine into the particulars of; examine in detail.
-
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)
-
investigates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
investigated,
past participle, past
-
investigating
present participle
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
-
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
-
investigatedsimple
-
had investigatedperfect
-
was investigatingprogressive
-
were investigatingprogressive
-
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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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:
In documents submitted to the court for the hearing prosecutors also said it was "plainly incorrect" to say there had been a decision not to investigate.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Bandim said the trial aimed to investigate whether the hepatitis B vaccine given at birth has broader health effects beyond preventing infection.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
The guidelines call for cases to be systematically documented and entered into registries, allowing researchers to compare clinical experiences, identify problems, and investigate unanswered questions.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
The commissioner described the threshold to investigate issues as "so low".
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
If they notice something interesting, they will instruct us to move in the direction of it in order to be able to further investigate it.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
This ‘Frontline’ special investigates the continued toll of the debilitating disease, long a devastating hazard of mining.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
When Gladwell investigates whether those features actually make a gun more lethal, the case largely falls apart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
His research investigates magnetism, spintronics, and quantum materials.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
Panorama investigates the documents that were falsified to hide his wealth and evade tax.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 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
It was during that hearing that the prosecution said one of the complaints made in the documentary was being investigated.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
The incidents are being investigated by police, with parents being warned to inspect any remaining sweets collected over Halloween.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
What once appeared to require collisions between massive nuclei can now be investigated through much smaller systems, giving researchers new opportunities to explore the behavior of matter under extraordinary conditions.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
The FBI has investigated the Perfect Child before, according to former employees of the company who told the Journal they were interviewed by agents in 2023 about its business practices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
When she investigated further, she discovered that the groups had failed because they did not have the money necessary to continue their work.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
The Home Office said it would be investigating the allegations to see whether there had been a breach of immigration rules.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
The researchers are also investigating how this signaling pathway responds to physical damage, not just infection or chemical stress.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
Berkeley Police Department officials said their detectives began investigating Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Comma.ai after at least five crashes were linked to its hands-free driving device.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
She gazes upon his bent back with flattened ears and then seems to adjust her attitude, swinging her trunk and investigating the ground in front of her.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
