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:
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Isaiah’s three siblings, also alleges the Lynwood Unified School District, where some of the children were enrolled, failed to investigate their alleged repeated absence from the classroom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
A conversation with Swiss scientist Graham Knott, Ph.D., prompted him to investigate further.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
The National Crime Agency says it is now working with Durham Police to investigate allegations by former patients and determine if any criminal offences have taken place.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
French carrier Air Corsica in recent weeks grounded four of its seven ATR turboprops as the plane maker and Pratt & Whitney, the maker of its engines, investigate the cause.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Nhamo quickly tied her dress-cloth and went to investigate.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Slate’s Rebecca Onion investigates why fans are so attached to the show.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
Through survivors and whistleblowers, this film investigates why the failures have continued for two decades.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 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
In relation to judicial rhetoric, he investigates what we mean by justice and fairness.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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
The Coast Guard and FBI declined to say how many cyberattack cases they have investigated since the war with Iran began.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Instead, it investigated how concerns about the neonatal nurse were handled by the hospital and whether action could have been taken sooner to stop her.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
If investigated, whatever the truth, they would presumably claim to be the former.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 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
This was not a direct replication of the pearling study, but it provides another tool for investigating how axon size is controlled.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
The Los Angeles Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
The revelation came in a blog post late Wednesday from the AI giant, which shared what it called a “new framework for tracking, investigating and disclosing instances of model misalignment.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
It helps that she has status, but all travelers can benefit by investigating other options quickly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Before I left Osage County to return home, I stopped to see Mary Jo Webb, a retired teacher who had spent decades investigating the suspicious death of her grandfather during the Reign of Terror.
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.
