diagnose
Americanverb (used with object)
-
diagnoses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
diagnosed,
past participle, past
-
diagnosing
present participle
-
to determine the identity of (a disease, illness, etc.) by a medical examination.
The doctor diagnosed the illness as influenza.
-
to ascertain the cause or nature of (a disorder, malfunction, problem, etc.) from the symptoms.
The mechanic diagnosed the trouble that caused the engine knock.
-
to classify or determine on the basis of scientific examination.
verb (used without object)
-
diagnoses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
diagnosed,
past participle, past
-
diagnosing
present participle
verb
-
to determine or distinguish by diagnosis
-
(tr) to examine (a person or thing), as for a disease
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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underdiagnoseverb (used with object)
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diagnosableadjective
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undiagnosableadjective
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undiagnosedadjective
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well-diagnosedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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diagnosesimple
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diagnosessimple
-
have diagnosedperfect
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has diagnosedperfect
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am diagnosingprogressive
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are diagnosingprogressive
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is diagnosingprogressive
-
have been diagnosingperfect progressive
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has been diagnosingperfect progressive
Past
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diagnosedsimple
-
had diagnosedperfect
-
was diagnosingprogressive
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were diagnosingprogressive
-
had been diagnosingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of diagnose
First recorded in 1860–65; back formation from diagnosis
Explanation
If you diagnose a disease, you recognize it by the signs and symptoms your patient shows. Your high temperature and the green crud you keep coughing up will allow your doctor to diagnose your bronchitis. The verb diagnose was first used in medicine, meaning "make a diagnosis," or identify a disease by observation of symptoms. Use it to describe the process of figuring it out. If you have bad gut pain, ask your doctor to diagnose your condition. You can also use diagnose for other problems, like if you diagnose poverty and malnutrition as the real causes of a student's terrible behavior, or diagnose the virus that caused your computer to crash.
Vocabulary lists containing diagnose
100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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“About Edward Jenner” from the Jenner Institute
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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:
“Essentially the only way to really diagnose these conditions together is after an autopsy and to see the hallmark features of the diseases under the microscope,” Vossel said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
Bell could discern a soldier by his gait and diagnose anemia from the stain on a shirt cuff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
They can also be difficult to diagnose, due to a lower level of bacteria shown in urine samples.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
What started as an unexpected finding in genetically modified mice helped reveal the cause of an extremely rare disease, transformed how doctors diagnose it, and provided the foundation for developing a drug.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
It took months for doctors to diagnose his ailment.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Those who received the vaccine displayed what Geldsetzer described as “large preventive effects,” correlating to a 20 percent reduction in dementia diagnoses.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026
According to the White House, the aim is to support policy reforms to ensure that women’s research is well-funded and that women have access to “stage-specific prevention, diagnoses, treatment, and care.”
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
South Korean activists campaigning for workplace safety in the nation's booming semiconductor industry called on the government on Wednesday to recognise the cancer diagnoses of three former SK hynix employees as work-related illnesses.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
"We're updating our women's health plan to make sure women's voices are heard, and transforming how the NHS prevents, diagnoses and treats cancer through our 10-year national cancer strategy, with a focus on earlier diagnosis."
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
At the time Theresa had not dared to; and though later she’d learned to talk professionally — to present cases — past differential diagnoses and treatment plans, she managed nothing.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
After I was diagnosed a couple of years ago, I looked back at my youth and finally understood why I often struggled with friendships and relationships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
I was diagnosed in my 40s, by which point I was a high-functioning professional with a family and friends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
At 22 she was diagnosed with degenerative sight condition Stargardt disease during her second year at music school and is registered blind.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Almost a year ago, doctors warned Teddy Sloman's parents that he might not survive life-saving surgery after being diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma, external, a rare, aggressive childhood cancer.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
He went over to his father’s side as Nurse Cha was explaining what she’d diagnosed.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
Boston University has been on the forefront of diagnosing CTE for years and spearheaded the newstudy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
For Lucy, the useful part is not diagnosing yourself from your appearance, but knowing when something doesn't feel right, and when to ask questions.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Identifying the genetic cause also made diagnosing the condition much simpler.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Healthcare professionals “are often undertrained and ill-equipped in diagnosing elder abuse.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
This is why we keep statistics in sports, and why it makes sense to do a computer analysis of all the factors that go into diagnosing heart attacks.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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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.
