inspect

verb in·spect \ in-ˈspekt \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: inspect in a Sentence

Definition of inspect

inspected; inspecting; inspects

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

—

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

The shops were last inspected on Wednesday and again fell short of standards, according to the lawsuit.

— joe marusak and hannah lang, charlotteobserver, "Dunkin' Donuts is so upset with these Charlotte stores, it's suing to close them," 11 June 2018
Why my job is important: Most of the facilities that our local team focuses on have very special infrastructure improvements and are FDA regulated and inspected on a regular basis.

— cindy kent, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Career Spotlight: Michael Brown's niche within the commercial real estate market," 7 June 2018
Thirteen businesses were inspected Dec. 29, and six failed, including Rainbow King, Cheers, the Black Forest Taphouse in Fallston, the Old School Tavern in Street, Tutto Fresco in Forest Hill and India Garden in Bel Air.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Harford liquor board fines four businesses for selling to a minor," 7 June 2018
These are supposed to have features like the camera disabled and be inspected on a regular basis; but according the report, that hasn’t been the case.

— jacob kastrenakes, The Verge, "Trump reportedly ignores ‘inconvenient’ security rules to keep tweeting on his iPhone," 22 May 2018
The airline was inspected in November and found to be following proper maintenance procedures, the Communications and Transport Ministry said Friday.

— santiago perez and anthony harrup, WSJ, "Cuban Authorities Identify 15 Victims of Friday’s Deadly Plane Crash," 20 May 2018
Kiddiegarden is a licensed day care and was last inspected in October 2017.

— anne branigin, The Root, "Indiana Day Care Shut Down After Brutal Attack on 1-Year-Old," 4 May 2018
Kiddiegarden is a licensed day care and was last inspected in October 2017, WXIN-TV reported.

— Fox News, "Police probe boy's apparent beating at Indiana day care," 2 May 2018
According to the health department, the restaurant was inspected on April 17, management has been cooperating throughout an investigation and have been given approval to operate.

— aleanna siacon, USA TODAY, "Sick Buffalo Wild Wings employee may have exposed Michigan customers to hepatitis A," 29 Apr. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

inspect Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Near Antonyms

glance (at or over);

miss, overlook;

Related Words

notice, observe, watch;

comb, peruse, pore (over);

analyze, dissect, parse;

delve (into), explore, investigate, plumb, probe, research, study;

Phrases

go over;

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

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

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.

—

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.

Law Dictionary

inspect

transitive verb in·spect

legal Definition of inspect

1 : to view closely and critically

2 : to examine officially

inspect the facility for code violations

intransitive verb

: to make an inspection

Learn More about inspect

See words that rhyme with inspect Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for inspect Spanish Central: Translation of inspect Nglish: Translation of inspect for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of inspect for Arabic speakers

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