inspect

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verb in·spect \ in-ˈspekt \

Definition of inspect

transitive verb

1 :to view closely in critical appraisal :look over

2 :to examine officially

inspects the barracks every Friday

intransitive verb

:to make an inspection

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inspective

play \in-ˈspek-tiv\ adjective

See inspect defined for English-language learners

See inspect defined for kids

Examples of inspect in a Sentence

She had the car inspected by a mechanic before she bought it.
The candles are inspected for damage before being packaged.
After the storm, we went outside to inspect the damage.
He inspected the soldiers' barracks.
inspecting a restaurant for health code violations

Recent Examples of inspect from the Web

FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2005 file photo, President Bush looks out the window of Air Force One inspecting damage from Hurricane Katrina while flying over New Orleans en route back to the White House.

— Washington Post, "Trump eagerly confronts tricky politics of natural disasters," 28 Aug. 2017
Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg A technician inspects bitcoin mining machines at a Bitmain Technologies Ltd. facility in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, on Aug. 11.

— Bloomberg.com, "Bloomberg's Week in Pictures," 18 Aug. 2017
Seventy-eight concession stands were inspected, according to the SI report.

— tom uhler, star-telegram, "Ever wonder how safe the food is at Rangers ballpark?," 9 Aug. 2017
Witnesses said Brody got out of her SUV to inspect the damage to it before driving forward and being struck by the oncoming train.

— jennifer peltz, The Seattle Times, "US safety board to detail findings of deadly NY train crash," 24 July 2017
Alsberry said the property has been unkempt for many years and the village had recently obtained a court order to clean the outside of the man's home and to inspect the inside.

— frank vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, "Man injured after apparent explosion in Hazel Crest," 23 July 2017
Strange also joined Perdue and Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell to tour a row crop and sod farm in Daphne, and to inspect damage from Tropical Storm Cindy last month.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Luther Strange focusing on farms as Senate campaign heats up," 22 July 2017
All costumes props and weapons must be inspected at the Costumes Props Desk outside of Hall E or C2.

— chloe salsameda, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Comic-Con 2017 rules: Do's and don'ts," 17 July 2017
Neither of those problems were fixed by the time the auditors arrived to inspect the books from March to September in 2016.

— mary ellen klas herald-times tallahassee bureau, miamiherald, "Auditors find millions in ‘questionable costs’ at water district," 14 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of inspect

Latin inspectus, past participle of inspicere, from in- + specere to look — more at spy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1623

See Words from the same year

inspect Synonyms

Synonyms

audit, check (out), con, examine, overlook, oversee, review, scan, scrutinize, survey, view, go over

Related Words

notice, observe, watch; comb, peruse, pore (over); analyze, dissect, parse; delve (into), explore, investigate, plumb, probe, research, study; categorize, classify; pick over; reinspect, rereview, resurvey

Near Antonyms

skim; glance (at or over); miss, overlook

Synonym Discussion of inspect

scrutinize, scan, inspect, examine mean to look at or over. scrutinize stresses close attention to minute detail.

- scrutinized the hospital bill

scan implies a surveying from point to point often suggesting a cursory overall observation.

- scanned the wine list

inspect implies scrutinizing for errors or defects.

- inspected my credentials

examine suggests a scrutiny in order to determine the nature, condition, or quality of a thing.

- examined the specimens

INSPECT Defined for English Language Learners

inspect

play

verb

Definition of inspect for English Language Learners

: to look at (something) carefully in order to learn more about it, to find problems, etc.
: to officially visit a school, hospital, etc., in order to see if rules are being followed and things are in their proper condition

INSPECT Defined for Kids

inspect

play

verb in·spect \ in-ˈspekt \

Definition of inspect for Students

inspected; inspecting

1 :to examine closely

Doctors inspected the injury.

2 :to view and examine in an official way

The president inspected the troops.

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inspector

\ˌin-ˈspek-tər\ noun

Word Root of inspect

The Latin word specere, meaning “to look” or “to look at,” gives us the roots spec, spic, and spect. Words from the Latin specere have something to do with looking or watching. A spectator is a person who watches something, such as a sports event. Anything conspicuous is easy to see. To inspect is to look very closely at all parts of something. A specimen, or sample, is one example or one part that can show what the rest look like.