investigate

verb

in·​ves·​ti·​gate in-ˈve-stə-ˌgāt 

investigated; investigating

transitive verb

: to observe or study by close examination and systematic inquiry

intransitive verb

: to make a systematic examination

especially : to conduct an official inquiry

investigation

in-ˌve-stə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

investigative

in-ˈve-stə-ˌgā-tiv 

adjective

investigatory

in-ˈve-sti-gə-ˌtȯr-ē 

adjective

Synonyms of investigate

• explore
• examine

Examples of investigate in a Sentence

The police are still investigating the murder.

The accident was thoroughly investigated.

The manager promised to investigate when we pointed out an error on our bill.

He was investigated for his involvement in the incident.

Recent Examples on the Web

But some of it is also an inevitable byproduct of the media doing their job by investigating potential wrongdoing. — David MacK, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

In public appearances, Netanyahu sidestepped questions about whether Israel would investigate the incident alongside Riyadh officials. — Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026

Green said the Department of Public Instruction and State Board will engage with CMS leadership to determine next steps and coordinate with other agencies already reviewing or investigating the district. — Nora O’Neill 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026

When something goes wrong, investigate both the why behind the behavior and the why behind the permission. — Shashwat Sehgal, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin investigatus, past participle of investigare to track, investigate, from in- + vestigium footprint, track

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for investigate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

investigate

verb

in·​ves·​ti·​gate in-ˈves-tə-ˌgāt 

investigated; investigating

: to study by close examination and systematic inquiry

investigation

-ˌves-tə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

investigative

-ˈves-tə-ˌgāt-iv 

adjective

investigator

-ˌgāt-ər 

noun

investigatory

-ˈves-ti-gə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

adjective

Etymology

from Latin investigare "to track, investigate," from in- "in, toward" and vestigium "footprint" — related to vestige

Word Origin

A detective investigating a crime may find the criminal by following clues. In much the same way, a hunter may find game by following tracks. The origins of the word investigate show how fitting it is to compare the detective to the hunter. The Latin word vestigium meant "footprint, track." Joined with the prefix in-, the noun vestigium gave rise to the verb investigare. This word meant both "to track or trace by footprints" and "to study or examine closely." Only the second meaning was kept when the verb was borrowed into English as investigate.

Legal Definition

investigate

verb

in·​ves·​ti·​gate in-ˈves-tə-ˌgāt 

investigated; investigating

transitive verb

: to observe or study by close examination and systematic inquiry

specifically : to make (a criminal suspect) the subject of inquiry and study for the purpose of establishing probable cause

intransitive verb

: to make a systematic examination

especially : to conduct an official inquiry

investigation

in-ˌves-tə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

investigative

in-ˈves-tə-ˌgā-tiv 

adjective

investigator

-ˌgā-tər 

noun

investigatory

in-ˈves-tə-gə-ˌtōr-ē 

adjective