investigate

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

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: investigate in a Sentence

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

Several university labs are investigating HDR to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, among many other diseases.

— sharon begley, STAT, "A serious new hurdle for CRISPR: Edited cells might cause cancer, find two studies," 11 June 2018
Those determinations are important because any file covered by that privilege could be withheld from the prosecutors who are investigating Mr. Cohen’s various business projects, including some involving Mr. Trump.

— New York Times, "Judge Denies Trump’s Secrecy Claim in Review of Cohen Documents," 8 June 2018
USA TODAY Blood-testing company Theranos duped Arizona officials and patients by selling unproven, unreliable products that gave people flawed medical results, according to a new book from a Wall Street Journal reporter who investigated the company.

— rachel leingang, azcentral, "Theranos experimented on Arizonans with faulty blood tests, book says," 7 June 2018
That led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, and possible obstruction of justice by the president.

— erin kelly, USA TODAY, "Senate has Sessions' back as Trump attacks his own attorney general, experts say," 6 June 2018
His committee also oversees the Federal Trade Commission, which is investigating Facebook to determine whether the company's data policies violate a 2011 consent decree with the commission.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Facebook gave data access to Chinese firm flagged by U.S. intelligence," 6 June 2018
That's the conclusion of a new study published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, which investigated why people feel disgust.

— blake bakkila, Health.com, "Why Women Find Sex More ‘Disgusting’ Than Men," 5 June 2018
Pitt previously assisted the police who investigated the still-unsolved killing of 6-year-old pageant queen JonBenét Ramsey, who was found dead at her home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996.

— chris harris, PEOPLE.com, "Trail of Blood Leads Police to Spree Killer's Victims — Then He Shoots Himself as Cops Close In," 4 June 2018
Privacy - Terms The number of Confide users is much higher than was was unearthed by Attorney General Josh Hawley, who investigated Greitens' use of Confide earlier this year and determined no evidence of wrongdoing existed.

— jason hancock, kansascity, "Greitens and 19 staffers had secret texting app, far more than number reported to AG," 1 June 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

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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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