Library / English Dictionary

EXAMINE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning

Example:

analyze your real motives

Synonyms:

analyse; analyze; canvass; examine; study

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "examine"):

consider; look at; view (look at carefully; study mentally)

sieve; sift (check and sort carefully)

investigate; look into (investigate scientifically)

follow; trace (follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something)

screen (examine methodically)

audit; inspect; scrutinise; scrutinize (examine carefully for accuracy with the intent of verification)

reexamine; review (look at again; examine again)

assay (analyze (chemical substances))

check; check into; check out; check over; check up on; go over; look into; suss out (examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition)

compare (examine and note the similarities or differences of)

survey (make a survey of; for statistical purposes)

appraise; survey (consider in a comprehensive way)

diagnose (subject to a medical analysis)

diagnose; name (determine or distinguish the nature of a problem or an illness through a diagnostic analysis)

anatomize (analyze down to the smallest detail)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue examine the movie

Derivation:

examination (a detailed inspection of your conscience (as done daily by Jesuits))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Question closely

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "examine" is one way to...):

query; question (pose a question)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "examine"):

quiz; test (examine someone's knowledge of something)

cross examine; cross question (question closely, or question a witness that has already been questioned by the opposing side)

catechise; catechize (examine through questioning and answering)

grill (examine thoroughly)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody PP

Derivation:

examination (the act of giving students or candidates a test (as by questions) to determine what they know or have learned)

examination (formal systematic questioning)

examination (a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge)

examinee (someone who is tested (as by an intelligence test or an academic examination))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Question or examine thoroughly and closely

Synonyms:

examine; probe

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "examine" is one way to...):

investigate; look into (investigate scientifically)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "examine"):

hear; try (examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process)

re-examine (question after cross-examination by opposing counsel)

enquire; inquire; investigate (conduct an inquiry or investigation of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

examination (the act of giving students or candidates a test (as by questions) to determine what they know or have learned)

examination (formal systematic questioning)

examination (a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Observe, check out, and look over carefully or inspect

Example:

I must see your passport before you can enter the country

Synonyms:

examine; see

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

"Examine" entails doing...:

look (perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "examine"):

check (make an examination or investigation)

inspect (look over carefully)

look; search (search or seek)

scrutinise; scrutinize; size up; take stock (to look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail)

peruse (examine or consider with attention and in detail)

scan (examine minutely or intensely)

glance over; rake; run down; scan; skim (examine hastily)

survey (look over carefully or inspect)

auscultate (examine by auscultation)

autopsy (perform an autopsy on a dead body; do a post-mortem)

candle (examine eggs for freshness by holding them against a light)

x-ray (examine by taking x-rays)

search (subject to a search)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

The customs agents examine the bags for drugs

Derivation:

examination (the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes))

examiner (an investigator who observes carefully)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to

Example:

Test this recipe

Synonyms:

essay; examine; prove; test; try; try out

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "examine" is one way to...):

evaluate; judge; pass judgment (form a critical opinion of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "examine"):

control; verify (check or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard)

float (circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with)

field-test (test something under the conditions under which it will actually be used)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

examination (the act of giving students or candidates a test (as by questions) to determine what they know or have learned)

examination (a detailed inspection of your conscience (as done daily by Jesuits))

examination (a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge)

examiner (someone who administers a test to determine your qualifications)

Credits

 Context examples: 

I have examined the map and find that the river most suitable for the Slovaks to have ascended is either the Pruth or the Sereth.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

A way to sidestep this problem is to examine the Moon.

(Moon Data Sheds Light on Earth’s Asteroid Impact History, NASA)

"This discovery forces us to re-examine our models of how stellar-mass black holes form," said LIGO Director Prof. David Reitze from the University of Florida in the US.

(Unpredicted stellar black hole discovered by astronomers, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

“He was a seaman,” said George Merry, who, bolder than the rest, had gone up close and was examining the rags of clothing.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

On examining my dwelling, I found that one of the windows of the cottage had formerly occupied a part of it, but the panes had been filled up with wood.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

If he could but once set eyes on him, he thought the mystery would lighten and perhaps roll altogether away, as was the habit of mysterious things when well examined.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The initial study examining a new method or treatment.

(Pilot study, NCI Dictionary)

The identification of a disease or illness by examining the signs and symptoms.

(Performed Diagnosis, NCI Thesaurus)

A sample of secretions and superficial cells of the body of uterus, cervix, and ovaries; examined with a microscope to detect any abnormal cells.

(Papanicolaou Smear Procedure, NCI Thesaurus)

Eph kinases and ephrins are involved in several biological processes, and their role in neuronal development has been extensively examined.

(Platelet Aggregation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)