examine

[ ig-zam-in ]

/ ɪgˈzæm ɪn /

verb (used with object), ex·am·ined, ex·am·in·ing.

to inspect or scrutinize carefully: to examine a prospective purchase.

to observe, test, or investigate (a person's body or any part of it), especially in order to evaluate general health or determine the cause of illness.

to inquire into or investigate: to examine one's motives.

to test the knowledge, reactions, or qualifications of (a pupil, candidate, etc.), as by questions or assigning tasks.

to subject to legal inquisition; put to question in regard to conduct or to knowledge of facts; interrogate: to examine a witness; to examine a suspect.

Nearby words

exam., examen, examinant, examination, examination for discovery, examine, examine-in-chief, examinee, examiner, examinership, examplar

Origin of examine

1275–1325; Middle English < Middle French examiner < Latin exāmināre to weigh, examine, test, equivalent to exāmin- (stem of exāmen examen) + -āre infinitive ending

SYNONYMS FOR examine

1 search, probe, explore, study.

3 quiz.

Related forms

ex·am·in·a·ble, adjectiveex·am·i·na·to·ri·al

[ig-zam-uh-nuh-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-] /ɪgˌzæm ə nəˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjectiveex·am·in·er, nounex·am·in·ing·ly, adverb

pre·ex·am·ine, verb (used with object), pre·ex·am·ined, pre·ex·am·in·ing.pre·ex·am·in·er, nounsub·ex·am·in·er, nounsu·per·ex·am·in·er, nounun·ex·am·in·a·ble, adjectiveun·ex·am·ined, adjectiveun·ex·am·in·ing, adjectivewell-ex·am·ined, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unexamined

And like all markers of cultural identity, words and tunes often exist inside of us, unexamined.
The Trouble With Mourning Arik Einstein As Diaspora Jews|Mira Sucharov|November 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The unexamined life is not worth living, according to Socrates.
London’s Sober Goodbye to Margaret Thatcher|Jamie Dettmer|April 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It may be true that the unexamined life is not worth living, but too much philosophy can have negative ends of its own.
This Week’s Hot Reads: April 9, 2012|Nicholas Mancusi, Malcolm Jones|April 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
No doubt they would prefer to leave all the terrible things that were going on at home in 1968 unexamined.
Bob Kerrey: The New Vietnam Outrage|Bob Kerrey|July 17, 2010|DAILY BEAST

In contrast, in the U.S., bad, unexamined ideas sail through wearing the burqa of bipartisanship.
Why Partisan Bickering Works|Tunku Varadarajan|February 23, 2010|DAILY BEAST
All dogmatism, in the pristine connotation of unexamined adherence to the doctrines of tradition, is absent from his thought.
The Philosophy of Spinoza|Baruch de Spinoza
In fact, "the unexamined life" is the only one, as many a weary thinker has felt—if it were but possible.
The Conflict of Religions in the Early Roman Empire|T. R. Glover
But it is also the most important and salutary; for, as the wisest of the Greeks said, "An unexamined life is not worth living."
Leaves of Life|Margaret Bird Steinmetz
Yet they are full of unexamined assumptions; they commit us to all sorts of logically predetermined conclusions.
Essays in Experimental Logic|John Dewey
Better leave it unexamined than begin with inquiries the end of which cannot be foreseen.
Judges and Ruth|Robert A. Watson

British Dictionary definitions for unexamined

examine

/ (ɪɡˈzæmɪn) /

verb (tr)

to look at, inspect, or scrutinize carefully or in detail; investigate

education to test the knowledge or skill of (a candidate) in (a subject or activity) by written or oral questions or by practical tests

law to interrogate (a witness or accused person) formally on oath

med to investigate the state of health of (a patient)

Derived Formsexaminable, adjectiveexaminer, nounexamining, adjective

Word Origin for examine

C14: from Old French examiner, from Latin exāmināre to weigh, from exāmen means of weighing; see examen

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

Word Origin and History for unexamined (1 of 2)

unexamined

adj.

late 15c., from un- (1) "not" + past participle of examine.

Word Origin and History for unexamined (1 of 2)

examine

c.1300, from Old French examiner "interrogate, question, torture," from Latin examinare "to test or try; weigh, consider, ponder," from examen "a means of weighing or testing," probably ultimately from exigere "weigh accurately" (see exact). Related: Examined; examining.

Medicine definitions for unexamined

examine

[ ĭg-zăm′ĭn ]

v.

To study or analyze an organic material.

To test or check the condition or health of.

To determine the qualifications, aptitude, or skills of by means of questions or exercises.