- 1 to consider or study an idea, a subject, etc. very carefully examine something These ideas will be examined in more detail in Chapter 10. examine how, what, etc… It is necessary to examine how the proposals can be carried out. Synonymsexamineanalyse review study discussThese words all mean to think about, study or describe somebody/something carefully, especially in order to understand them, form an opinion of them or make a decision about them.examine to think about, study or describe an idea, subject or piece of work very carefully:These ideas will be examined in more detail in Chapter 10.analyse/analyze to examine the nature or structure of something, especially by separating it into its parts, in order to understand or explain it:The job involves gathering and analysing data. He tried to analyse his feelings.review to examine something again, especially so that you can decide if it is necessary to make changes:The government will review the situation later in the year.study to examine somebody/something in order to understand them or it:We will study the report carefully before making a decision.examine or study?You examine something in order to understand it or to help other people understand it, for example by describing it in a book; you study something in order to understand it yourself.discuss to write or talk about something in detail, showing the different ideas and opinions about it:This topic will be discussed at greater length in the next chapter.Patterns to examine/analyse/review/study/discuss what/how/whether… to examine/analyse/review/study/discuss the situation/evidence to examine/analyse/review/study/discuss something carefully/critically/systematically/briefly Language BankaboutSaying what a text is about The book is about homeless people in the cities. The report deals with the issue of homelessness in London. The writer discusses the problems faced by homeless people. The article presents an overview of the issues surrounding homelessness. The novel explores the theme of friendship among homeless people. The first chapter examines the relationship between homelessness and drug addiction. The paper considers the question of why so many young people become homeless. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbcarefully, closely, in detail, … verb + examineaim to, attempt to, be designed to, … prepositionfor phraseslet us examine… See full entry
- 2 to look at somebody/something closely, to see if there is anything wrong or to find the cause of a problem examine somebody/something The doctor examined her but could find nothing wrong. examine something/somebody for something The goods were examined for damage on arrival. Wordfinderdoctorcure, doctor, examine, medicine, patient, practice, prescribe, receptionist, specialist, surgeon Synonymscheckexamine inspect go over somethingThese words all mean to look closely to make sure that everything is correct, in good condition, or acceptable.check to look at something closely to make sure that everything is correct, in good condition, safe or satisfactory:Check your work before handing it in.examine to look at somebody/something closely to see if there is anything wrong or to find the cause of a problem:The goods were examined for damage on arrival.inspect to look at somebody/something closely to make sure that everything is satisfactory; to officially visit a school, factory, etc. in order to check that rules are being obeyed and that standards are acceptable:Make sure you inspect the goods before signing for them. The Tourist Board inspects all recommended hotels at least once a year.check, examine or inspect?All these words can be used when you are looking for possible problems, but only check is used for mistakes:Examine/Inspect your work before handing it in. Only examine is used when looking for the cause of a problem:The doctor checked/inspected her but could find nothing wrong. Examine is used more often about a professional person:The surveyor examined the walls for signs of damp.Inspect is used more often about an official:Public health officials were called in to inspect the restaurant.go over something to check something carefully for mistakes, damage or anything dangerous:Go over your work for spelling mistakes before you hand it in.Patterns to check/examine/inspect/go over (something) for something to check/examine/inspect/go over something to see if/whether… to check/examine/inspect/go over something carefully/thoroughly Wordfinderexaminebiopsy, diagnose, examine, sample, scan, swab, symptom, test, ultrasound, X-ray Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbcarefully, closely, in detail, … verb + examineaim to, attempt to, be designed to, … prepositionfor phraseslet us examine… See full entry See related entries: Medical examinations
- 3examine somebody (in/on something) (formal) to give somebody a test to see how much they know about a subject or what they can do The students will be examined in all subjects at the end of term. You are only being examined on this semester's work.
- 4examine somebody (law) to ask somebody questions formally, especially in court see also cross-examine Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French examiner, from Latin examinare ‘weigh, test’, from examen ‘examination’.Extra examples Critically examine your work as if you were looking at someone else’s efforts. Each case must be carefully examined. He didn’t even bother to examine the note. He fails to examine the implications of such a development. It is instructive to examine the data we have so far. Let us examine the implications of this theory. Only recently have historians begun to examine its impact and influence. The course is externally examined. The room was examined minutely for clues. This claim needs to be examined separately. This study sets out to examine the possible effects of climate change. This survey systematically examined their claims. We continue to examine new ways of doing business. We shall now proceed to examine these two aspects of the problem in detail. one of the very few studies to empirically examine this problem the few studies that have specifically examined the effectiveness of the drugIdioms
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BrE BrE//ɪɡˈzæmɪn//; NAmE NAmE//ɪɡˈzæmɪn//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they examine BrE BrE//ɪɡˈzæmɪn//; NAmE NAmE//ɪɡˈzæmɪn//
he / she / it examines BrE BrE//ɪɡˈzæmɪnz//; NAmE NAmE//ɪɡˈzæmɪnz//
past simple examined BrE BrE//ɪɡˈzæmɪnd//; NAmE NAmE//ɪɡˈzæmɪnd//
past participle examined BrE BrE//ɪɡˈzæmɪnd//; NAmE NAmE//ɪɡˈzæmɪnd//
-ing form examining BrE BrE//ɪɡˈzæmɪnɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ɪɡˈzæmɪnɪŋ//
Medical examinations(informal) to be crazy See related entries: Describing strange traits
Check pronunciation: examine
