research
Americannoun
-
research
plural
verb (used without object)
-
researches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
researched,
past participle, past
-
researching
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
researches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
researched,
past participle, past
-
researching
present participle
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
See investigation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
researchernoun
-
researchistnoun
-
underresearchverb (used with object)
-
proresearchadjective
-
researchableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
researchsimple
-
researchessimple
-
have researchedperfect
-
has researchedperfect
-
am researchingprogressive
-
are researchingprogressive
-
is researchingprogressive
-
have been researchingperfect progressive
-
has been researchingperfect progressive
Past
-
researchedsimple
-
had researchedperfect
-
was researchingprogressive
-
were researchingprogressive
-
had been researchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of research
First recorded in 1570–80; (verb) from Middle French recercher “to seek,” Old French, equivalent to re- re- + cercher search; (noun) from Middle French recerche
Explanation
In their spare time, teenagers LOVE doing extra research, by investigating the facts of a certain subject and studying and recording what they learn. And if you believe that, you need to do more research on the habits of teenagers. Research comes from the Old French word recercher, meaning "seek out," or "search closely." When you do research, you are searching for knowledge and facts. Although you write plenty of research papers in college, on anything from the Industrial Revolution to the meaning behind a fur-lined teacup, the term is often used when talking about science, because scientists use step-by-step research to prove what is true, or not true, in their line of work.
Vocabulary lists containing research
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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!
Journalism
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!
Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 9
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:
But a Columbia University research team has found that when water molecules come into contact with plastic surfaces, a key chemical reaction does in fact take place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
And so, that actually is what’s been occupying me in large part for the last 10+ years in my research.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
“Given Tesla’s history over the last 20 years, I have almost no expectation that it will actually go into production in 2028,” said Sam Abuelsamid, a vice president of research at automotive advisory firm Telemetry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
"This distinction crowns more than 10 years of research, testing and commitment to pushing the boundaries of electric and solar-powered flight," SolarStratos said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
My favorite teacher, Miss Kirker, always stressed that when conducting research, we should use various sources, both on- and off-line.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
“The boats keep going. The Pacific is vast,” said Ervyn Norza, a former police investigator who researches the drug trade for Rosario University in Bogotá.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
"This petition matters because dedicated, ring-fenced government investment would give researches greater certainty, help promising discoveries move into UK clinical trials and ensure rare conditions are not overlooked," he adds.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Your wife and her siblings are the “primary grievers,” says Joanne Cacciatore, a professor at Arizona State University who researches traumatic grief.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Bauer researches historical and contemporary right-wing movements in the United States and recently wrote a book called “Making the Liberal Media.”
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Well, then, what better place to start my fresh researches than here, at Hogwarts?” said Voldemort.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
The events provide the unique opportunity on the fair circuit to explore cutting-edge contemporary art alongside deeply researched presentations of historic work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
Even so, this book—the first comprehensive Debs biography since Nick Salvatore’s Bancroft Prize-winning classic of 1982—is competently researched, colorful and occasionally moving.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
He frames his deeply researched four-hour psych eval “Musk” as the reality check we all need when the world’s richest, most cult-powerful human keeps pushing migration to Mars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
He said the battery was stolen a few months later and they researched a new one, but it would have been "quite a lot of money and I couldn't afford it at the time".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
It was during her bout with the chicken pox, when she dropped her painstakingly researched art history paper into the milk bath while attempting to proofread it.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
After researching your book, what have you found about people’s common understanding of Rod Serling and “The Twilight Zone” that might not be entirely accurate?
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
One of the most surprising findings I had researching this book was the importance of banter, of humor, of fun, of doing things that waters the garden of the community.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Calkins’s thinking isn’t too different from that of Anthropic and OpenAI leaders, who’ve said they’re researching how they will make sure superintelligent AI models remain aligned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
MarketWatch: What surprised you most while researching the book?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
He’d patted her head until she calmed down, and then they took her home and Aloe started researching puberty blockers and the hormones she might need.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
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.
