as in inquiry
a systematic search for the truth or facts about something
officials launched an extensive investigation of the plane crash
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Recent Examples of investigation
There’s an urge to reconnect with our heritage, and people are undertaking ancestry pilgrimages, combining boots-on-the-ground investigation into family trees and searching for documents in town halls, with discovering the places our ancestors used to call home.
—
Alex Ledsom, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
An investigation by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) has found that Team Canada manipulated the outcome of the North American Cup in Lake Placid, New York, earlier this month.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Many observers speculated Yoon opted to place the country under a military rule to protect his wife from possible investigations.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026
The White House on Monday sought to distance itself from those comments, declining to draw conclusions publicly until the investigation concludes.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 28 Jan. 2026
Police confirmed a homicide investigation is underway.
—Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
The former chairman of College Park’s development authority executed unlawful agreements that resulted in questionable payments totaling more than $548,000 to a real estate company, according to an investigation by the development authority’s lawyer.
—Reed Williams, AJC.com, 28 Jan. 2026
This dispute has played out amid a Justice Department investigation involving the Federal Reserve.
—Mike Winters, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
Alex Ledsom, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
An investigation by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) has found that Team Canada manipulated the outcome of the North American Cup in Lake Placid, New York, earlier this month.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Many observers speculated Yoon opted to place the country under a military rule to protect his wife from possible investigations.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026
The White House on Monday sought to distance itself from those comments, declining to draw conclusions publicly until the investigation concludes.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 28 Jan. 2026
Police confirmed a homicide investigation is underway.
—Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
The former chairman of College Park’s development authority executed unlawful agreements that resulted in questionable payments totaling more than $548,000 to a real estate company, according to an investigation by the development authority’s lawyer.
—Reed Williams, AJC.com, 28 Jan. 2026
This dispute has played out amid a Justice Department investigation involving the Federal Reserve.
—Mike Winters, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for investigation
Noun
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At the same time, the instruction was deeply committed to the idea that women could and should be full participants in scientific inquiry.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
29 Jan. 2026
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Swiss Federal Supreme Court referred her case back to CAS, with new audio-visual evidence that could prove the inquiry was filed within the required timeframe.—
Chuck Schilken,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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An in-depth examination uncovers moderate profitability and growth, coupled with a competitive valuation.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The growing awareness that, even in mild COVID cases, the possibility exists for longer-term, often undetected organ damage also warrants more examination, researchers say.—
Stephanie Armour,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Each issue curates essays, interviews, frameworks, and visual explainers that add up to a coherent exploration of a topic that matters.—
Daphne Koller,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Surviving Corporate Transition — William Bridges A classic exploration of the psychology of transition that helps leaders understand what employees experience after major organizational change.—
Jennifer J. Fondrevay,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
As cartoonish as Boone is, Vigil is not much of a character study.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Future studies that mimic natural warming and cooling cycles may reveal hidden costs that only emerge under certain conditions.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But after a six-month probe into Yoon's decree, investigators led by another independent counsel, Cho Eun-suk, in December downplayed conjecture that Kim's troubles drove Yoon to declare martial law.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
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The Justice Department also launched a probe into Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over their public statements criticizing the presence of ICE in the state.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Those memorable segments demonstrated how the desk-and-sofa format could be a tool in the politician’s arsenal for shaping public opinion away from the pesky probing of journalists.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Giscard d’Estaing’s campaign self-consciously emulated American political campaigns of the day, and Depardon appropriately applies the tools of direct cinema to give us a probing, intimate look at the candidate on the cusp of power.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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PhDs Are Fleeing Federal Agencies A new Science analysis of White House Office of Personnel Management data reveals a dramatic surge in the number of employees with a PhD who are leaving employment at federal research agencies.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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In 2013, David Kidd and Emanuele Castano shifted the research goal posts by asking if reading literary fiction (as opposed to non-fiction, popular fiction, or no reading) correlated with higher scores on what’s known as theory of mind.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Investigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/investigation. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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