investigate
Americanverb (used with object)
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investigates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
investigated,
past participle, past
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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
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investigatedsimple
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had investigatedperfect
-
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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Word Generation Science - Preparing a Scientific Investigation
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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:
To investigate this process, the researchers studied developing mouse embryos and identified two different populations of brain progenitor cells.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
Gen. Rob Bonta’s office to investigate the whistleblower’s claims.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Thames Valley Police works tirelessly to investigate offenders involved in these horrific crimes and bring them to justice, a spokesperson said.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Our reporters interviewed current and former employees and reviewed text messages to investigate the problems behind Polymarket’s rapid expansion ahead of a potential IPO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
All human beings are capable of the sort of intellectual activity that tracking requires, and when we investigate a problem we are engaged, as the realists claim, in a sophisticated version of the same activity.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Slate’s Rebecca Onion investigates why fans are so attached to the show.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
The committee rarely investigates senators and has not formally sanctioned a member in 19 years.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
Alan Ritchson will pop in as a guest star, as Neagley investigates the mysterious death of an old friend.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
ICE says it thoroughly investigates all deaths of individuals in its custody or during agency actions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 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
In 2024, as Polymarket’s profile grew, two federal agencies investigated whether the company was violating that settlement by allowing U.S. traders on its platform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
The same laboratory has investigated pinene, a fragrant chemical naturally released by many trees.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Dr Nogales-Ascarrunz had heard of other sightings of small wild cats in the dense forests of the country's Yungas region, but these had not been investigated by scientists.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
His team investigated urolithin A, or UroA, a naturally occurring microbial metabolite produced by gut bacteria after the digestion of foods including pomegranates, walnuts and berries.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
He may have used generalities, “What if a boy got in a fight...” to keep all the angles open until he’d investigated every single one.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
County medical examiner’s office said that it was in the early stages of investigating the 27-year-old model’s death and that limited information was available.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the cause of the crash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating it, and employees have been told to retain records related to the fraud attack and other topics, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Officials say police are investigating the case, but police declined to share more information when contacted by the BBC.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Inquests were a remnant of a time when ordinary citizens largely assumed the burden of investigating crimes and maintaining order.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
