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:
Det Ch Insp Justin Bryant said officers were continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ms Samuels' death and to provide answers for her family.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Shortly after the Iran war began, Citrini sent an analyst to the Strait of Hormuz to investigate in person the situation on the ground.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
This makes optogenetics a powerful way to investigate how the brain works.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
She encourages members of her laboratory to be "calculated risk-takers," emphasizing that meaningful discoveries often require scientists to investigate possibilities that may initially seem unlikely.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
As though Ray hears Axel’s thoughts from across the driveway, he leaps off of Emmett and George’s porch and comes to investigate.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
FlyDubai suspended flights to and from Israel while the United Arab Emirates investigates the attack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
This presentation investigates the impact of scented cleaning product use on airborne nanoparticle nucleation, growth, and human exposure to secondary pollutants in indoor environments.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
Chason Gordon investigates the rise of produce bred for perfection, and argues that there are unintended consequences to making fruit too delicious.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
BBC health correspondent Sharon Barbour investigates a deepening breast cancer scandal in County Durham and hears from women whose mastectomies were unnecessary.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
In relation to judicial rhetoric, he investigates what we mean by justice and fairness.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
"They then made an allegation of theft and injury, and I was investigated by the police at the time, but nothing came of it."
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
In 2017, the Met investigated Coles's alleged relationship with Jessica.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
More than half a century later, the Justice Department is reviewing whether the special prosecutor’s office that investigated the Watergate break-in committed misconduct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
The team then investigated how long the corals actually needed to remain connected.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
He was one of Philadelphia’s top detectives and had been a member of the force for twenty years, during which time he had investigated some two hundred killings.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Officers investigating Sperino's murder realised AI could help them wade through the mountains of evidence they had accumulated since 1993.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Indonesian authorities were investigating on Tuesday after a car-sized piece of what a government agency said was a Chinese space rocket crashed into a palm oil plantation near homes and work sites.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
Holtzman's laboratory has been investigating whether the immune system offers another way to address these diseases.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
"That lead broke the case open," said Captain Tim Lawrence of Madison County Sheriff's Office, which was responsible for investigating the crime.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Thinking that made me sad, though, so I changed the subject and we started investigating.
From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy
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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.
