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Synonyms

review

American  
[ri-vyoo] / rɪˈvju /

noun

reviews plural
  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)

reviews, present (3rd person singular) reviewed, past participle, past reviewing present participle
  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)

reviews, present (3rd person singular) reviewed, past participle, past reviewing present participle
  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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

    1. a publication containing such articles

    2. ( capital when part of a name )

      the Saturday Review

  4. a second consideration; re-examination

  5. a retrospective survey

  6. a formal or official inspection

  7. 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

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

  9. a less common spelling of revue

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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. 

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing review

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

In a statement this week, the Microsoft co-founder said that completing the review was a critical step in providing “the clarity that partners, employees, and grantees deserve.”

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 22, 2026

The review is entering its home stretch; public comments are due to the FCC by July 29.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 22, 2026

Penelope, too, had been using the occasion of their long march into the woods to review some of the finer points of the English language.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

The case came to light after officials from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety found reviews that diners had posted online with photographs of dishes sprinkled with ants.

From BBC Jul. 22, 2026

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

Bisignano asked his direct reports to go into the survey submission tool and figure out which employees had written negative reviews, some of the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 21, 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’m also invited to take part in several group showings, mostly by women: they’ve heard about the ink throwing, read the snotty reviews, all of which render me legitimate, although from the east.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Any new proposals would have to be reviewed by Ofwat, the regulator.

From BBC Jul. 21, 2026

The agency now deems the detection that it reported Saturday a false positive after laboratory experts reviewed the sample results.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 20, 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

The self-published Singular Revelations sold enough copies for a second printing and was later expanded into a book reviewed in Greeley’s New-York Tribune.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

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

A UC San Diego spokesperson said the university is reviewing the findings.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 20, 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

As he talked me through the call he was reviewing, he explained it was a "high intensity service user" who called as many as 10 times a day, every day, for months.

From BBC Jul. 15, 2026

Tats joins me at a study carrel as I’m reviewing arguments against humanizing Caliban.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

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