research

noun re·search \ ri-ˈsərch , ˈrē-ˌsərch \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Definition of research

1 : careful or diligent search

2 : studious inquiry or examination; especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws

3 : the collecting of information about a particular subject

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Examples of research in a Sentence

She conducts research into the causes of Alzheimer's disease.
Recent research shows that the disease is caused in part by bad nutrition.
The study is an important piece of research.
He did a lot of research before buying his car.

Recent Examples of research from the Web

Nearly a decade ago, Bustamante and Arteaga co-founded Tropical Herping, an organization that melds photography, tourism, education, and research, to preserve tropical reptiles and amphibians.

— alejandro arteaga, National Geographic, "These 5 New Snake Species Suck Snails Out of Their Shells," 14 June 2018
The interviews involve research, an understanding of U.S. politics; actual journalism.

— michael ordoña, latimes.com, "'Daily Show's' Trevor Noah finds his way to the funny with some on-the-job training," 14 June 2018
The high rates of harassment in academia, especially in STEM fields, damage the integrity of research, the authors write.

— ellie kaufman, CNN, "Sexual harassment report calls for changes to academic culture," 13 June 2018
Unlike pharmaceutical research, which has stringent standards, Silicon Valley’s products are commonly seen as inherently beneficial, and AV companies seem to have carte blanche to test their inventions.

— betsy morais, Longreads, "The Menace and the Promise of Autonomous Vehicles," 13 June 2018
In broad strokes, the film’s depictions of dinosaurs were in line with the latest paleobiological research of the early 1990s, showcasing for the first time creatures that were fast, clever, and warm-blooded.

— katherine j. wu, Smithsonian, "Five Ways Real Science Would Make the New Jurassic World So Much Better," 12 June 2018
Siegel, who was not part of the research, wrote about the study in Forbes.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Scientists discover ancient interstellar dust that formed the Earth and the solar system," 11 June 2018
Manipulating the fembots' apparent mating interest is key to Patricelli's research, which is based on decision making in economic theory.

— laura yan, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Made a Taxidermy Bird Robot for Research," 9 June 2018
The research, which is preliminary and involved small numbers of women, was led by a prominent pioneer in the field of genetic blood testing, Stephen Quake at Stanford University.

— pam belluck, The Seattle Times, "Blood test could predict pregnancy due date, potential for preterm birth," 9 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of research

Middle French recerche, from recercher to go about seeking, from Old French recerchier, from re- + cerchier, sercher to search — more at search

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1577

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year