investigation
Americannoun
-
investigations
plural
-
the act or process of investigating or the condition of being investigated.
- Synonyms:
- exploration, scrutiny
-
a searching inquiry for ascertaining facts; detailed or careful examination.
- Synonyms:
- exploration, scrutiny
noun
Usage
What does investigation mean? An investigation is a thorough search for facts, especially those that are hidden or need to be sorted out in a complex situation. The goal of an investigation is usually to determine how or why something happened. Investigations are usually formal and official. The word is commonly associated with police investigations of criminal activity, but it is used in many other contexts to refer to the process of investigating—systematically finding and examining evidence. Example: After a six-month investigation, this news organization uncovered widespread corruption.
Synonym Usage
Investigation, examination, inquiry, research express the idea of an active effort to find out something. An investigation is a systematic, minute, and thorough attempt to learn the facts about something complex or hidden; it is often formal and official: an investigation of a bank failure. An examination is an orderly attempt to obtain information about or to make a test of something, often something presented for observation: a physical examination. An inquiry is an investigation made by asking questions rather than by inspection, or by study of available evidence: an inquiry into a proposed bond issue. Research is careful and sustained investigation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of investigation
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English investigacio(u)n from Latin investīgātiōn- (stem of investīgātiō ). See investigate, -ion
Explanation
If something has gone missing, conduct an investigation to find it. To do this, seek out details associated with its disappearance, asking questions and gathering evidence in order to find out what happened to it. If you watch a lot of detective shows, it won’t surprise you to learn that the noun investigation traces back to the Latin words in-, meaning “into,” and vestigium, meaning “footprint, track.” An investigation may not always involve people looking for footprints at a crime scene, but that methodical gathering of details and other evidence associated with a crime or wrongdoing is at the heart of any investigation.
Vocabulary lists containing investigation
Florida EOC Biology 1
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!
Edge: Academic Vocabulary
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!
Miranda v. Arizona (1966): Syllabus
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:
By identifying which substances are associated with potential risks, the team hopes to narrow the list of chemicals that deserve more detailed investigation.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2026
Coroner Rachel Knight said it was necessary to open an inquest, but it would be "suspended pending the criminal investigation".
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026
Megaspeed came under investigation by the Commerce Department in 2024 for potentially aiding the smuggling of chips into China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026
Nvidia’s board launched an independent investigation into national-security concerns raised by the reports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026
From the beginning of the investigation, Lépine favored the idea.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
These investigations could help explain how the macromolecular carbon formed, how it survived, and what its presence reveals about the distribution of organic material across Mars.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2026
Warren and Coons cited their roles as the incoming heads of the Banking and Foreign Relations Committees, which oversee investigations and bills impacting sensitive technology exports and national-security concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026
Despite “struggling mightily,” Rason downgraded the stock from outperform to market-perform, citing potential investigations into Huang and Nvidia.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026
The head teacher at the school, Ta'aliim Primary School and Quran Memorisation Centre, has been arrested to assist with investigations.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026
An’ then he said summat abou’ Snape makin’ investigations in his House, in Slytherin.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
