analyze

verb an·a·lyze \ ˈa-nə-ˌlīz \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of analyze

analyzed; analyzing

transitive verb

1 : to study or determine the nature and relationship of the parts of (something) by analysis

2 : to subject to scientific or grammatical analysis

chemically analyze a specimen

analyze a sentence

3 : psychoanalyze

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analyzability

play \ˌa-nə-ˌlī-zə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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analyzable

play \ˈa-nə-ˌlī-zə-bəl\ adjective

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analyzer

play \-ˌlī-zər\ noun

See analyze defined for English-language learners

See analyze defined for kids

Examples of analyze in a Sentence

While Wroe offers some basic biographical information and quotes copiously from Shelley's writings, she does not tell a chronological story or analyze individual poems. —Adam Kirsch, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2007
They are not doing the math. Doing the math would mean demonstrating that the voters' intuitive judgments are roughly what they would get if they analyzed the likely effects of candidates' policies, and this is a difficult calculation to perform. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2004
Ms. Magazine's online daily weblog, written by Christine Cupaiuolo, analyzes the representation of women in media and popular culture. Here are excerpts from recent postings. —Ms., Fall 2003
The data was recorded and analyzed by computer.
We took the sample to be chemically analyzed by a lab.
Researchers are busy analyzing the results of the study.
The bacteria were analyzed under a powerful microscope.

Recent Examples of analyze from the Web

Historical documents describe this cultural mixture, but now international teams of researchers are enriching our view by analyzing the genomes of people today.

— lizzie wade, Science | AAAS, "Latin America’s lost histories revealed in modern DNA," 12 Apr. 2018
But by analyzing their behavior, scientists have found that blasts can throw off their ability to find food, avoid predators and find mates.

— author: rosanna xia, Anchorage Daily News, "New rules would make it easier to find offshore oil – and noisier for whales," 12 Apr. 2018
Bloomberg formulated its rankings by analyzing data from the IRS, U.S. Census and Zillow.

— william axford, Houston Chronicle, "Texas is home to some of the richest ZIP codes in the South, according to Bloomberg," 11 Apr. 2018
In analyzing school shootings, The Post defined them far more narrowly than others who have compiled data over the past few years.

— john woodrow cox and steven rich, courant.com, "What happens to children who survive school shootings in America?," 22 Mar. 2018
The safety scores and subsequent rankings were calculated by analyzing crimes reported by universities, including rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, motor vehicle theft and arsons.

— michael katz, idahostatesman, "The safest college campus in the United States? It’s right here in Idaho. | Idaho Statesman," 16 Mar. 2018
Schultz won a Nobel Prize in 1979 for analyzing the role agriculture plays within the economy.

— matthew glenesk, Indianapolis Star, "IndyStar 2018 NCAA tournament celebrity alumni bracket," 12 Mar. 2018
What works in analyzing Amazon will work with your local retailer, too.

— joseph n. distefano, Philly.com, "DuckDuckGo's Gabe Weinberg on how big Internet firms trample our privacy online," 6 Mar. 2018
José Alazo Rangel, a criminal specialist in Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior, was involved in analyzing tapes of sounds recorded at U.S. diplomats’ homes.

— mimi whitefield, miamiherald, "Cuba: Stress may be behind U.S. diplomats health problems | Miami Herald," 8 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'analyze.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of analyze

probably irregular from analysis

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1587

See Words from the same year

analyze Synonyms

Synonyms

anatomize, assay, break down, cut, deconstruct, dissect;

Near Antonyms

agglomerate, aggregate, amalgamate, assimilate, coalesce, conglomerate, consolidate, integrate, synthesize, unify;

arrange, assort, catalog (or catalogue), categorize, classify, codify, diagram, enumerate, index, order, schematize, sort, tabulate;

divide, reduce, segment, separate, subdivide;

Synonym Discussion of analyze

analyze, dissect, break down mean to divide a complex whole into its parts or elements. analyze suggests separating or distinguishing the component parts of something (such as a substance, a process, a situation) so as to discover its true nature or inner relationships.

- analyzed the collected data

dissect suggests a searching analysis by laying bare parts or pieces for individual scrutiny.

- commentators dissected every word of the speech

break down implies a reducing to simpler parts or divisions.

- break down the budget

ANALYZE Defined for English Language Learners

analyze

verb

Definition of analyze for English Language Learners

: to study (something) closely and carefully : to learn the nature and relationship of the parts of (something) by a close and careful examination
: to study the emotions and thoughts of (someone) by using psychoanalysis