investigate

verb in·ves·ti·gate \ in-ˈve-stə-ˌgāt \

Updated on: 6 Apr 2018

Definition of investigate

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

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investigation

play \in-ˌve-stə-ˈgā-shən\ noun

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investigative

play \in-ˈve-stə-ˌgā-tiv\ adjective

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investigator

play \in-ˈve-stə-ˌgā-tər\ noun

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investigatory

play \in-ˈve-sti-gə-ˌtȯr-ē\ adjective

See investigate defined for English-language learners

See investigate defined for kids

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 of investigate from the Web

Franks was pronounced dead at the scene, and Vestavia police are investigating.

— ivana hrynkiw, AL.com, "Three dead in separate weekend crashes in Bessemer, Midfield, and Vestavia," 2 Apr. 2018
Huntington Beach police are continuing to investigate.

— hannah fry, Daily Pilot, "Man arrested, two people injured in 4-vehicle crash in Huntington Beach," 2 Apr. 2018
Another law firm, Perkins Coie, was retained to investigate the Fowler allegations and other accusations of misconduct.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "At Uber, a New C.E.O. Shifts Gears," 30 Mar. 2018
The film is rich and multifaceted, as Greene employs an array of styles (historical reenactments, direct cinema-style portraiture, musical numbers) to investigate the complex relationship between Bisbee's past and present.

— Chicago Reader, "Mr. Rogers meets Mexican drug cartels at the Doc10 documentary festival," 29 Mar. 2018
In another interesting piece of information contained in the memo, it's revealed that the FBI's counterintelligence investigation into Mr. Trump's campaign was already ongoing before the FISA warrant to investigate Page.

— blake bakkila, Health.com, "This Fitness Influencer's Underwear Trick Can Completely Change the Appearance of Your Butt," 28 Mar. 2018
Van de Walle is part of an international team of researchers who combed through decades of data on brown bear populations in Sweden to investigate this trend.

— National Geographic, "Bears Are Caring for Their Cubs Longer in Response to Hunting," 28 Mar. 2018
The ransomware attack, in which hackers block or hold data until a ransom is paid, is currently being investigated by the local authorities, along with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Secret Service.

— sebastian modak, Condé Nast Traveler, "Atlanta Airport Shuts Down Wi-Fi Following Cyber Attack on City," 23 Mar. 2018
An advocacy group has asked the National Institutes of Health to investigate whether several patents held by Aegerion Pharmaceuticals failed to disclose federal funding for grants that were used to develop a pricey cholesterol treatment.

— ed silverman, STAT, "NIH is urged to probe Aegerion patents for failing to disclose federal funding," 20 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of investigate

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1510

See Words from the same year

investigate Synonyms

Synonyms

delve (into), dig (into), examine, explore, inquire (into), look (into), probe, research;

Related Words

inspect, sift, study, view;

browse, cruise, peruse, scan, skim (through), surf, thumb (through);

Phrases

check into, check up on;

INVESTIGATE Defined for English Language Learners

investigate

verb

Definition of investigate for English Language Learners

: to try to find out the facts about (something, such as a crime or an accident) in order to learn how it happened, who did it, etc.
: to try to get information about (someone who may have done something illegal)

INVESTIGATE Defined for Kids

investigate

verb in·ves·ti·gate \ in-ˈve-stə-ˌgāt \

Definition of investigate for Students

investigated; investigating

: to study by close examination and questioning

Police are investigating the crime.

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investigator

\-ˌgā-tər\ noun

Law Dictionary

investigate

verb in·ves·ti·gate \ in-ˈves-tə-ˌgāt \

legal Definition of investigate

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

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