diagnose

verb

di·​ag·​nose ˈdī-ig-ˌnōs 

-ˌnōz,

ˌdī-ig-ˈnōs 

-ˈnōz,

-əg-

diagnosed; diagnosing

transitive verb

1

a

: to recognize (something, such as a disease) by signs and symptoms

The other method of diagnosing gallstones is through an ultrasound examination, which has the advantages of being simple, safe and quick.

—G. Timothy Johnson

Pulmonary embolus was diagnosed in two of the actively treated patients …

—Richard D. Sautter et al.

b

: to recognize a disease or condition in

The physicist and cosmologist was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease when he was a 21-year-old student at Cambridge University.

—Maria Cheng

2

: to analyze the cause or nature of

The mechanic diagnosed the problem with the engine.

intransitive verb

: to identify a disease from its signs and symptoms : to make a diagnosis

diagnosable adjective

or diagnoseable

ˌdī-ig-ˈnō-sə-bəl 

-əg-,

-zə-

Examples of diagnose in a Sentence

The test is used to help in diagnosing heart disease.

Thousands of new cases have been diagnosed in the past year.

The doctor was unable to diagnose the skin condition.

a new doctor with little experience diagnosing patients

The mechanic was unable to diagnose the problem.

Recent Examples on the Web

Last May, two years after issuing an apology for her depiction of autism in the 2020 film Music, Sia shared that had recently been diagnosed with autism. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2024

Prince Harry most recently returned to the U.K. solo in February after his father, King Charles, revealed he was diagnosed with cancer. —Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024

That is until both of my parents were diagnosed with incurable, degenerative neurological diseases. —Victoria Song, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024

Chew, 66, represented Legislative District 17 encompassing Southwest Boise and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late 2023. —Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 18 Apr. 2024

Kaczynski was 81, and a senior law enforcement official had said at the time that he had been diagnosed with cancer, although its type and severity were unclear. —Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024

The condition can be diagnosed with a simple blood test. —Elizabeth Woolley, Verywell Health, 15 Apr. 2024

In other words, doctors are seeing more people, and are saying those visits involve sicker people that require more time to diagnose and treat. —Bob Herman Reprints, STAT, 15 Apr. 2024

As a result, Alzheimer's can take years to diagnose, said Laura Parnas, a scientist at Roche Diagnostics. —Binghui Huang, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from diagnosis

First Known Use

circa 1841, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

diagnose

verb

di·​ag·​nose ˈdī-ig-ˌnōs  -ˌnōz 

ˌdī-ig-ˈnōs,

-ˈnōz

diagnosed; diagnosing

: to recognize by signs and symptoms : make a diagnosis

diagnose a disease

diagnose a play in football

Medical Definition

diagnose

verb

di·​ag·​nose ˈdī-ig-ˌnōs  -ˌnōz 

ˌdī-ig-ˈ,

-əg-

diagnosed; diagnosing

transitive verb

1

: to recognize (as a disease) by signs and symptoms

2

: to diagnose a disease or condition in

diagnosed the patient

intransitive verb

: to make a diagnosis

diagnosable adjective

also diagnoseable

ˌdī-ig-ˈnō-sə-bəl, -əg-, -zə-