ex ‧ am ‧ ine S3 W2 /ɪɡˈzæmən, ɪɡˈzæmɪn/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ exam , ↑ examination , cross-examination, ↑ examiner ; verb : ↑ examine , ↑ cross-examine ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: examiner , from Latin examinare , from examen 'weighing out' ]
1 . to look at something carefully and thoroughly because you want to find out more about it:
A team of divers was sent down to examine the wreck.
Hegel’s philosophy will be examined in detail in Chapter 4.
examine how/whether/what etc
In the course, we will examine how and why Spain became a democracy in 1931.
examine something for something
The police will have to examine the weapon for fingerprints.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say have or take a look at somthing or someone rather than examine something or someone:
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I had a look at the car but I couldn’t see anything wrong with it.
2 .
if a doctor examines you, they look at your body to check that you are healthy
3 . formal to ask someone questions to test their knowledge of a subject SYN test
examine somebody in/on something
You will be examined on American history.
4 . law to officially ask someone questions in a court of law ⇨ ↑ cross-examine
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THESAURUS
▪ examine to look at something carefully and thoroughly because you want to find out more about it:
Experts who examined the painting believe it is genuine.
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Her new book examines the causes of social discontent.
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A team of divers was sent down to examine the wreckage.
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The police will examine the weapon for fingerprints.
▪ have a look at/take a look at especially spoken to quickly examine something to find out what is wrong with it or to find out more about it. Have a look at is less formal than examine , and is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
I’ll have a look at your car if you like.
▪ inspect to examine something carefully to make sure that it is correct, safe, or working properly, especially when it is your job to do this:
The building is regularly inspected by a fire-safety officer.
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Some insurance people have already been here to inspect the damage caused by the storm.
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Russian and American teams will have the right to inspect each other’s missile sites.
▪ analyze ( also analyse British English ) to examine something carefully, especially detailed information about something, so that you can understand it:
Researchers analyzed the results of the survey.
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We’re still analysing all the data.
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One of the problems in analyzing the situation is that we do not have all the information yet.
▪ study to spend a lot of time examining something very carefully, for example a problem or situation:
I won’t comment till I’ve had time to study the proposals.
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A team of scientists has been studying the effects of global warming on Antarctica.
▪ review to examine something such as a situation or process to see if any changes are necessary:
The bank will review its security procedures after last week’s attack.
▪ scrutinize ( also scrutinise British English ) to examine something very carefully to find out if there is anything wrong with it:
Congress is currently scrutinizing the deal.