review
Americannoun
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a critical article or report, as in a periodical, on a book, play, recital, or the like; critique; evaluation.
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the process of going over a subject again in study or recitation in order to fix it in the memory or summarize the facts.
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an exercise designed or intended for study of this kind.
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a general survey of something, especially in words; a report or account of something.
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an inspection or examination by viewing, especially a formal inspection of any military or naval force, parade, or the like.
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a periodical publication containing articles on current events or affairs, books, art, etc..
a literary review.
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a judicial reexamination, as by a higher court, of the decision or proceedings in a case.
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a second or repeated view of something.
- Synonyms:
- reexamination, reconsideration
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a viewing of the past; contemplation or consideration of past events, circumstances, or facts.
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Bridge. a recapitulation of the bids made by all players.
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Theater. revue.
verb (used with object)
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to go over (lessons, studies, work, etc.) in review.
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to view, look at, or look over again.
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to inspect, especially formally or officially.
to review the troops.
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to survey mentally; take a survey of.
to review the situation.
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to discuss (a book, play, etc.) in a critical review; write a critical report upon.
- Synonyms:
- criticize
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to look back upon; view retrospectively.
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to present a survey of in speech or writing.
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Law. to reexamine judicially.
a decision to review the case.
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Bridge. to repeat and summarize (all bids made by the players).
verb (used without object)
verb
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to look at or examine again
to review a situation
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to look back upon (a period of time, sequence of events, etc); remember
he reviewed his achievements with pride
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to inspect, esp formally or officially
the general reviewed his troops
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to read through or go over in order to correct
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law to re-examine (a decision) judicially
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to write a critical assessment of (a book, film, play, concert, etc), esp as a profession
noun
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Also called: reviewal. the act or an instance of reviewing
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a general survey or report
a review of the political situation
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a critical assessment of a book, film, play, concert, etc, esp one printed in a newspaper or periodical
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a publication containing such articles
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( capital when part of a name )
the Saturday Review
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a second consideration; re-examination
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a retrospective survey
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a formal or official inspection
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Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): revision. the process of rereading a subject or notes on it, esp in preparation for an examination
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law judicial re-examination of a case, esp by a superior court
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a less common spelling of revue
Usage
What is a basic definition of review? A review is judgement or discussion of the quality of something. Review also means to go over a subject again as part of study or to look at something another time. Review has many other senses as both a noun and a verb. A review is a critique of something—a look at something’s good and bad points. Reviews are very common in every industry, and many people rely on them to learn more about something they are interested in, especially something they want to buy. A person who writes a review is a reviewer.
- Real-life examples: You can find reviews of almost anything online, such as movies, books, vacation spots, and schools. Websites like Amazon, Google Maps, and Rotten Tomatoes offer reviews of things. Most companies will even boast about good reviews that they get.
- Used in a sentence: I want to see the new movie because I heard it got good reviews.
- Used in a sentence: Cho began her career by reviewing television shows for her YouTube channel.
- Real-life examples: One of the main reasons teachers assign homework is so students will review the topics they learned that day. College students will often review an entire semester’s worth of notes the night before an important exam.
- Used in a sentence: Diego reviewed the geometry chapters with his tutor to understand the math better.
- Used in a sentence: Prof. Lopez led the review of the properties of the noble gases.
- Real-life examples: Someone putting together furniture will likely review the directions many times before they're done. A chef will review a recipe that they are trying for the first time to make sure they don’t make a mistake. A writer will review their work for errors or grammar mistakes before giving it to an editor.
- Used in a sentence: Lola reviewed her letter to Santa Claus to make sure she included everything she wanted.
Synonym Usage
Review, criticism imply careful examination of something, formulation of a judgment, and statement of the judgment, usually in written form. A review is a survey over a whole subject or division of it, or especially an article making a critical reconsideration and summary of something written: a review of the latest book on Chaucer. A criticism is a judgment, usually in an article, either favorable or unfavorable or both: a criticism of a proposed plan. The words are interchanged when referring to motion pictures or theater, but review implies a somewhat less formal approach than criticism in referring to literary works: movie reviews; play reviews; book reviews.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonreviewabilitynoun
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prereviewnoun
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reviewabilitynoun
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reviewernoun
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rereviewverb
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nonreviewableadjective
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reviewableadjective
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reviewlessadjective
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unreviewableadjective
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unreviewedadjective
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well-reviewedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reviewsimple
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reviewssimple
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have reviewedperfect
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has reviewedperfect
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am reviewingprogressive
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are reviewingprogressive
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is reviewingprogressive
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have been reviewingperfect progressive
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has been reviewingperfect progressive
Past
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reviewedsimple
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had reviewedperfect
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was reviewingprogressive
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were reviewingprogressive
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had been reviewingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of review
First recorded in 1555–65; from Middle French revue, noun use of feminine past participle of revoir “to see again,” ultimately from Latin revidēre, equivalent to re- re- + vidēre “to see”; see view
Explanation
To review means to look back over something for evaluation or memory. "The year in review" is a popular form of news feature near the end of December. If your boss wants to give you a review, she wants to look over the history of your job performance. A doctor might review your medical record to help diagnose your sickness. The review of a book or movie often evaluates the work in question based on its strong and weak points, sometimes ending with a recommendation (or a dismissal). Before a big test, you might want to review ("brush up on") your notes.
Vocabulary lists containing review
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 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!
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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!
The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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:
Under Section 123, Congress has 90 days to review all such nuclear projects, and many questions about this program will no doubt be raised.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
"The league is gathering all relevant information and will refrain from further comment until the review is complete," it added.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The scope of the probe by lawyers at WilmerHale was disclosed in a footnote to the report’s summary, which was released after a five-month review.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Calling a station’s licenses for an early review is rare, and it’s been four decades since the FCC revoked a TV station license.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Privately held knowledge is not really scientific knowledge at all because it has not survived the test of peer review.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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The new statement reviews recent evidence about caffeinated coffee and its possible relationships with high blood pressure, cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, other arrhythmias and other cardiovascular conditions.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
Such glowing reviews seemed improbable only a few weeks ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Multiple reviews of the 2020 election have concluded that Joe Biden won legitimately, and election experts say there is no evidence that widespread fraud affected the outcome of the election.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
I’ve also been researching credit-counseling and debt-management companies, and many seem to have strong reviews.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
"Peer reviews of a paper I wrote a few years back."
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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But on Tuesday, Mamdani said his team had reviewed "every avenue available" under the law, and concluded that "we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this".
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Europe and “allied partner countries,” according to a document ProPublica reviewed.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
The rates must be reviewed and approved by the insurance department, which takes months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
After local media reported the removal of several statues, government spokeswoman Khaing Khaing Soe said earlier this month that only those with "incorrect proportions and shapes are being systematically reviewed and addressed".
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
Remarkably, several former juvenile lifers had developed outstanding institutional histories with very few disciplinaries, even though they did their time with no hope of ever being released or having their institutional history reviewed.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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But moments later, the MLS released a statement saying it was "reviewing a tampering allegation" against the club.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
After reviewing more than 20 years of stranding records and preserved tissue samples, researchers at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and collaborating institutions identified three Helicobacter genotypes that had never been documented before.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Gen. Rob Bonta said it is reviewing the deferral of payments and allegations of fraud.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
That change has been extended several times, and the government is reviewing whether to extend it again when it expires at the end of this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
The eight teams stood bunched in front of the reviewing stand.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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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.