review

American  

[ri-vyoo] / rɪˈvyu /

noun

1. a critical article or report, as in a periodical, on a book, play, recital, or the like; critique; evaluation.

2. the process of going over a subject again in study or recitation in order to fix it in the memory or summarize the facts.

3. an exercise designed or intended for study of this kind.

4. a general survey of something, especially in words; a report or account of something.

5. an inspection or examination by viewing, especially a formal inspection of any military or naval force, parade, or the like.

6. a periodical publication containing articles on current events or affairs, books, art, etc..

   a literary review.

7. a judicial reexamination, as by a higher court, of the decision or proceedings in a case.

8. a second or repeated view of something.

   Synonyms:

   reexamination, reconsideration

9. a viewing of the past; contemplation or consideration of past events, circumstances, or facts.

10. Bridge. a recapitulation of the bids made by all players.

11. Theater. revue.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to go over (lessons, studies, work, etc.) in review.

2. to view, look at, or look over again.

3. to inspect, especially formally or officially.

   to review the troops.

4. to survey mentally; take a survey of.

   to review the situation.

5. to discuss (a book, play, etc.) in a critical review; write a critical report upon.

   Synonyms:

   criticize

6. to look back upon; view retrospectively.

7. to present a survey of in speech or writing.

8. Law. to reexamine judicially.

   a decision to review the case.

9. Bridge. to repeat and summarize (all bids made by the players).

verb (used without object)

1. to write reviews; review books, movies, etc., as for a newspaper or periodical.

   He reviews for some small-town newspaper.

review British  

/ rɪˈvjuː /

verb

1. to look at or examine again

   to review a situation

2. to look back upon (a period of time, sequence of events, etc); remember

   he reviewed his achievements with pride

3. to inspect, esp formally or officially

   the general reviewed his troops

4. to read through or go over in order to correct

5. law to re-examine (a decision) judicially

6. to write a critical assessment of (a book, film, play, concert, etc), esp as a profession

---

noun

1. Also called: reviewal.  the act or an instance of reviewing

2. a general survey or report

   a review of the political situation

3. a critical assessment of a book, film, play, concert, etc, esp one printed in a newspaper or periodical

4. 1. a publication containing such articles

   2. ( capital when part of a name )

      the Saturday Review

5. a second consideration; re-examination

6. a retrospective survey

7. a formal or official inspection

8. 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

9. law judicial re-examination of a case, esp by a superior court

10. 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. 

Review is used in this sense as a verb to mean to write or otherwise create (like a video) a review of something.

• Used in a sentence: Cho began her career by reviewing television shows for her YouTube channel. 

Review is also used to mean to go over a subject again to master it or to remember the material better. Your school teachers likely reviewed previous lessons with your class more than once before a test. When studying a new language, you will review words and grammar rules many times to help commit them to memory.

• 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. 

Review is used in this sense as a noun to refer to an exercise or session that involves reviewing subject matter.

• Used in a sentence: Prof. Lopez led the review of the properties of the noble gases. 

As a verb, review can also mean to read, view, or look at something again.

• 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. 

Related Words

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

• nonreviewability noun
• nonreviewable adjective
• prereview noun
• rereview verb
• reviewability noun
• reviewable adjective
• reviewer noun
• reviewless adjective
• unreviewable adjective
• unreviewed adjective
• well-reviewed adjective

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”; 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.

Example Sentences

I’d sit with my coffee and catch up: Duncan’s article had gone viral, Lisa wanted someone to review a draft, Sarah had been invited to give feedback to a new platform for writers.

From Slate • Apr. 12, 2026

The plans were submitted for review to the US Commission of Fine Arts, a federal agency charged with advising the president on design matters.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

The county has exempted the project from undergoing a state environmental review — a point of contention for many residents who are concerned about the health and environmental impacts.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

The independent review said the circumstances of what happened had "involved a complex intersection of disability, live broadcast risk and the use of language with a profound and painful historical context".

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

“Do you have time to review yesterday’s assignment? I want to make sure to do it even though Mr. Fordiani didn’t say I needed to.”

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

Related Words

• analysis
• appraisal
• article
• assessment
• column
• comment
• commentary
• criticism
• discussion
• essay
• evaluation
• inspection
• investigation
• judgment
• notice
• revision
• study