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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:

In a review article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Boston University professor Nancy Sullivan argues that outbreak preparedness needs to extend beyond the infectious diseases that receive the most attention.

From Science Daily Sep. 20, 2026

I vividly remember going to his design studio to review the prototypes of three dolls with him, take notes and make necessary adjustments.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 19, 2026

Days later, then-Fed Chair Jerome Powell tapped Barr to publish a review of the episode within weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 18, 2026

The Football Association has conducted what Tuchel described as a "sometimes painful, sometimes emotional" review into England's World Cup campaign.

From BBC Sep. 18, 2026

I expect the test to be a review of perimeter, area, and volume.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

According to most reviews, Cregger has achieved what he set out to do.

From BBC Sep. 18, 2026

However, the bank also said it would pause auctions of its bonds until April while it reviews a model of selling them to the government.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 17, 2026

Entertainment critic Bosley Crowther regularly praised Astaire in his reviews, calling him “dazzling.”

From Salon Sep. 17, 2026

Two A-level exam boards have since announced reviews of how they teach the inductive effect and directly cited the research as part of the reason for doing so.

From Science Daily Sep. 14, 2026

Deathstorm came out three weeks after Travis died, to nearly universal rave reviews.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

This account is based on interviews with people familiar with the interactions, as well as documentation reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 18, 2026

Of 514 cases reviewed by the trust so far, 315 patients have been found to have suffered harm, including 77 who were significantly harmed.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2026

The Times interviewed several experts, who reviewed recordings of the chopper’s final moments.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 17, 2026

Doctors who reviewed the case for ProPublica all told the news outlet that, given Walker’s medical risks, she should have been offered an abortion.

From Salon Sep. 17, 2026

Even so, without having reviewed her resume, something about her gave him the idea that she was both qualified and the right fit for the job.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Authorities are also reviewing the SUV’s event data recorder to determine Rios’ speed, braking and acceleration in the seconds before the deadly crash.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 17, 2026

The NCO advises reviewing your beneficiary designations to make sure they’re current, and making a list of all assets.

From MarketWatch Sep. 14, 2026

She emphasised that it was not her role "to set about reviewing the convictions", telling the inquiry: "The Court of Appeal has done that, with a very clear result."

From BBC Sep. 12, 2026

Burger King is instructing managers to staff front counters, while Wendy’s is reviewing its AI drive-through trials to improve service.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 11, 2026

I had not known him terribly well, but he knew us, because he had been responsible for reviewing our incoming and outgoing mail.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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