investigate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
investigatornoun
-
preinvestigatornoun
-
preinvestigateverb
-
reinvestigateverb
-
investigableadjective
-
investigativeadjective
-
investigatoryadjective
-
quasi-investigatedadjective
-
uninvestigatedadjective
-
uninvestigatingadjective
-
uninvestigativeadjective
-
uninvestigatoryadjective
-
well-investigatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
investigatesimple
-
investigatessimple
-
have investigatedperfect
-
has investigatedperfect
-
am investigatingprogressive
-
are investigatingprogressive
-
is investigatingprogressive
-
have been investigatingperfect progressive
-
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
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 8
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Word Generation Science - Preparing a Scientific Investigation
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
“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
On Tuesday, Reform asked the monitoring officer from the Greater London Authority, where Polanski is an elected member, to investigate whether he had breached the code of conduct.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The attorney general’s office has not responded to questions about whether it received the complaint or whether it would hire a special prosecutor to investigate it, given that it involves the attorney general himself.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
Because dreams are highly personal and often difficult to describe, they have traditionally been challenging to investigate on a large scale.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
I watch it investigate the pizza scraps strewn across the ground.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
The IPT is an independent judicial body which investigates complaints about surveillance by public authorities.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 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
She appealed the decision with the Faculty Hearing Committee, an independent board that investigates and adjudicates disputes involving faculty members.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
"This work investigates whether it's responsible to use recycled plastics in Hawaii's roads," shares Axworthy.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026
He just investigates on his own like he’s in an art gallery.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
The researchers also investigated why lifestyle intervention appeared to provide less protection for people in cluster 5.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
A number of state insurance regulators investigated the purchase in 2014 and found no irregularities, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2020.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
South Africa's Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration, during its regular public update on the country's approach to migration management on Sunday, also confirmed that the matter was being investigated.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
What has been less investigated, at least until this week, is how deep the personal relationships ran — specifically, the friendship between Andrew Tate and the president’s 20-year-old son.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 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
The company didn’t disclose what the FTC is investigating, or when the probe began.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Police and firefighters are investigating the scene at Nippon Paper Industries Yatsushiro Plant, which is located in Yatsushiro City in the wider Kumamoto prefecture, says the outlet.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Police only began investigating in March 2024 after being contacted by someone over concerns for "the deceased" at the business.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
It said there was no place for antisemitism or hatred at the university and they have "robust procedures" in place for investigating allegations of antisemitism.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The last thing he wanted was for Snape to start investigating the source of his newfound brilliance at Potions.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
