analyse
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to examine in detail in order to discover meaning, essential features, etc
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to break down into components or essential features
to analyse a financial structure
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to make a mathematical, chemical, grammatical, etc, analysis of
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another word for psychoanalyse
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of analyse
C17: back formation from analysis
Explanation
To analyse (analyze is U.S. English) something is to consider it in detail so you can figure out its workings or meaning. Analyse comes from Greek roots meaning "loosen." If you analyse something, it's as if you're untying it and letting the different parts separate so that you can study them. If you've got some mystery substance, you can analyse it by performing chemical reactions to break it into its parts. If you analyse a poem, you look at it word-by-word and even sound-by-sound. But remember that analyse is a British spelling, with analyze as the American version.
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:
Today, McCormick is busy chasing after athletes to take blood lactate levels in between their efforts, and she will continue to process and analyse them long after the session has ended.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
But, he said, investigators have to hold scientific scepticism when they analyse notes like this - especially when they have so few words to work with.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
His staff logically analyse every match in detail and learn what the adjustments are.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
To understand why some underdogs have done well, it makes sense to analyse where others have, in contrast, been exploited.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Children can feel, but they cannot analyse their feelings; and if the analysis is partially effected in thought, they know not how to express the result of the process in words.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
The Fantasy Premier League season begins on Friday 21 August so, to help managers as you tinker with your teams before the deadline, we've gone through all 20 teams and analysed some of their assets.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
We analysed the average price of the cheapest ticket at the six August festivals - nearly 600,000 shows since between 2016 and 2026 - to explore if prices have changed over the last decade.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
"This Nvidia employee was identified as a person involved in the case after investigators analysed the relevant evidence following the previous round of searches targeting Super Micro," the source told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Arsenal, nevertheless, have analysed the numbers and believe they have the financial means to fund a move for Vinicius.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Detecting! You have analysed, then. And what did you detect, if not gratitude?”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Authorities in Seoul and Washington were analysing the missile's exact specifications, it added in a message to news organisations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
According to the Manila-based Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, which tracks adoption by analysing satellite imagery of rooftops, only half a percent of the country's available roof space is so far equipped for solar.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
And Mercedes have a team of up to 10 people analysing the junior categories, right down to the very junior levels of karting to find promising new talent.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
BBC Verify has been analysing video footage of the blasts, which shows the explosions happened approximately 125m from the Four Seasons hotel, on the pavement of Shoukry al-Quowatly, a major thoroughfare running through the capital.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
In analysing Liszt's command of the piano we find that it consists first and foremost in the revelation of a mighty personality rather than in the achievement of unheard of technical feats.
From Franz Liszt by James Huneker
Definitions 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.
