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• scan
  scan

  verb (used with object)

  to glance at or over or read hastily.
• Scan.
  Scan.

  abbreviation

  Scandinavia.

scan

¹ American  

[skan] / skæn /

verb (used with object)

scanned, scanning

1. to glance at or over or read hastily.

   to scan a page.

   Synonyms:

   skim

2. to examine the particulars or points of minutely; scrutinize.

   Synonyms:

   inspect, investigate, study

3. to peer out at or observe repeatedly or sweepingly, as a large expanse; survey.

4. to analyze (verse) as to its prosodic or metrical structure; read or recite (verse) so as to indicate or test the metrical form.

5. to read (data) for use by a computer or computerized device, especially using an optical scanner.

6. Television. to traverse (a surface) with a beam of light or electrons in order to reproduce or transmit a picture.

7. Radar. to traverse (a region) with a beam from a radar transmitter.

8. Medicine/Medical, Biology. to examine (a body, organ, tissue, or other biologically active material) with a scanner.

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verb (used without object)

scanned, scanning

1. to examine the meter of verse.

2. (of verse) to conform to the rules of meter.

3. Television. to scan a surface or the like.

noun

1. an act or instance of scanning; close examination.

2. a visual examination by means of a television camera, as for the purpose of making visible or relaying pictures from a remote place.

   a satellite scan of the dark side of the moon; video scans of property listings available to customers.

3. a particular image or frame in such video observation or a photograph made from it.

4. Medicine/Medical, Biology.

   1. examination of the body or an organ or part, or a biologically active material, by means of a technique such as computed axial tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance, ultrasonography, or scintigraphy.

   2. the image or display so obtained.

Scan. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Scandinavia.

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scan British  

/ skæn /

verb

1. (tr) to scrutinize minutely

2. (tr) to glance over quickly

3. (tr) prosody to read or analyse (verse) according to the rules of metre and versification

4. (intr) prosody to conform to the rules of metre and versification

5. (tr) electronics to move a beam of light, electrons, etc, in a predetermined pattern over (a surface or region) to obtain information, esp either to sense and transmit or to reproduce a television image

6. (tr) to examine data stored on (magnetic tape, etc), usually in order to retrieve information

7. to examine or search (a prescribed region) by systematically varying the direction of a radar or sonar beam

8. physics to examine or produce or be examined or produced by a continuous charge of some variable

   to scan a spectrum

9. med to obtain an image of (a part of the body) by means of a scanner

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noun

1. the act or an instance of scanning

2. med

   1. the examination of a part of the body by means of a scanner

      a brain scan

      ultrasound scan

   2. the image produced by a scanner

Other Word Forms

• scannable
  adjective
• self-scanned
  adjective
• unscannable
  adjective
• unscanned
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of scan

1350–1400; Middle English scannen, variant of *scanden < Late Latin scandere to scan verse, Latin: to climb ( see ascend)

Explanation

When you scan a subway car to see if your friend is on it, your eyes pass quickly across the riders. When you get a scan of your knee at the doctor's office, a much more detailed picture is taken, showing your bones, tendons, and muscles. You might need a medical scan if you are in an accident or have a terrible headache. One of the most common kinds of scans is performed on a pregnant woman, to check out the size and health of her fetus. This kind of scan is called an "ultrasound" or a "sonogram." These use sound waves to take a picture of the inside of a person's body.

Example Sentences

What will the next scan bring when it comes to a treatment, surgery, or side effect that means this healthy, happy moment was fleeting?

From Slate • May 6, 2026

One analyst received a scan of the passport of the chief executive of a prominent hedge-fund manager as part of a client onboarding process for a transaction.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

While computers can scan enormous "chemical spaces," they still struggle to match the strategic judgment of experienced chemists.

From Science Daily • May 5, 2026

Then a scan showed the baby was not growing as it should, which she says was devastating.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Celia puts the list in front of me, and I scan through.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

• browse
• check
• examine
• flash
• flip through
• leaf through
• look through
• scour
• search
• skim
• thumb through