examine
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- quiz
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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.
verb
-
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)
Other Word Forms
- examinable adjective
- examinatorial adjective
- examiner noun
- examining adjective
- examiningly adverb
- preexamine verb (used with object)
- preexaminer noun
- subexaminer noun
- superexaminer noun
- unexaminable adjective
- unexamined adjective
- unexamining adjective
- well-examined adjective
Etymology
Origin of examine
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French examiner, from Latin exāmināre “to weigh, examine, test,” equivalent to exāmin- (stem of exāmen examen ) + -āre, infinitive ending
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.
She was able to examine heterosexual couples working in the same establishment, and where one partner is a manager and the other is not.
Next, they examined how sponge skeletons developed over time and discovered that spicules arose independently in separate sponge lineages.
From Science Daily
By examining nearly 7 million individual cells from mice at three different ages, the team identified which cells are most vulnerable over time and what factors may be driving their decline.
From Science Daily
Government Accountability Office examined in its recent review of IP and sustainment planning.
From MarketWatch
The film examines the push-pull of attraction and rejection on a scope that’s both intimate and global, finding the uneasy space where the two meet.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
