in·ves·ti·gate
| \ in-ˈve-stə-ˌgāt
\
\
investigated; investigating
Definition of investigate
: to observe or study by close examination and systematic inquiry
: to make a systematic examination
especially
: to conduct an official inquiry
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Other Words from investigate
investigation
\
in-ˌve-stə-ˈgā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
investigative
\
in-ˈve-stə-ˌgā-tiv
\
adjective
\
adjective
investigatory
\
in-ˈve-sti-gə-ˌtȯr-ē
\
adjective
\
adjective
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost released a statement saying the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation will investigate the shooting.
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Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, "Man dies in police shooting in emergency room of Ohio hospital," 13 Apr. 2021
The ultimate goal for Ingenuity is to expand how the space agency can investigate other planets.
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Washington Post, "NASA again postpones historic Ingenuity helicopter flight on Mars," 13 Apr. 2021
State authorities in Virginia will investigate an encounter captured on body camera that appears to show a police officer threatening to execute a Black Army officer during a traffic stop, officials said Sunday.
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NBC News, "Protests follow fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota: The Morning Rundown," 12 Apr. 2021
The school hired employment attorney Joy Ellis of Foster Garvey law firm to investigate.
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oregonlive, "Professor says Linfield President Miles K. Davis made anti-Semitic comments; Davis alleges ‘smear campaign’," 12 Apr. 2021
First, a student group organized a petition demanding the school district investigate whether Ms. Hostetter, 54, had taken part in the attack on the Capitol, and whether her politics had crept into her teaching.
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New York Times, "A Teacher Marched to the Capitol. When She Got Home, the Fight Began.," 10 Apr. 2021
Republicans, including Sens. Ted Cruz, Texas, Rob Portman, Ohio and John Cornyn, Texas, have demanded the administration investigate the claims.
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Morgan Phillips, Fox News, "Psaki: 'No basis’ for calls to shut down Texas child migrant facility," 10 Apr. 2021
For instance, a few long-haulers have reported some relief of their COVID-19 symptoms following vaccination; the resources of the NeuroCOVID Project could help researchers investigate these anecdotes.
—
Pamela Weintraub, The Atlantic, "The Way Out of Brain Fog," 9 Apr. 2021
The union attempting to organize at Amazon’s Bessemer fulfillment center wants the National Labor Relations Board to investigate how Amazon was able to get the U.S. Postal Service to install a mailbox on site during the mail-in election.
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William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, "Union wants investigation into Amazon election mailbox," 9 Apr. 2021
See MoreThese 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.
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Learn More about investigate
Dictionary Entries near investigate
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for investigate
Last Updated
17 Apr 2021
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Investigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/investigate. Accessed 17 Apr. 2021.
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More Definitions for investigate
investigate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of investigate
: 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)
See the full definition for investigate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
investigate
verb
in·ves·ti·gate
| \ in-ˈve-stə-ˌgāt
\
\
investigated; investigating
Kids Definition of investigate
: to study by close examination and questioning
Police are investigating the crime.
investigate
verb
in·ves·ti·gate
| \ in-ˈves-tə-ˌgāt
\
\
investigated; investigating
Legal Definition of investigate
: 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
: to make a systematic examination
especially
: to conduct an official inquiry
Other Words from investigate
investigation
\
in-ˌves-tə-ˈgā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
investigative
\
in-ˈves-tə-ˌgā-tiv
\
adjective
\
adjective
investigator
\
-ˌgā-tər
\
noun
\
noun
investigatory
\
in-ˈves-tə-gə-ˌtōr-ē
\
adjective
\
adjective
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Time Traveler for investigate
The first known use of investigate was in the 15th century
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