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scan

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word scan different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of scan are examine, inspect, and scrutinize. While all these words mean "to look at or over," scan implies a surveying from point to point often suggesting a cursory overall observation.

scanned the wine list

When is it sensible to use examine instead of scan?

The words examine and scan can be used in similar contexts, but examine suggests a scrutiny in order to determine the nature, condition, or quality of a thing.

examined the specimens

When would inspect be a good substitute for scan?

The meanings of inspect and scan largely overlap; however, inspect implies scrutinizing for errors or defects.

inspected my credentials

When could scrutinize be used to replace scan?

In some situations, the words scrutinize and scan are roughly equivalent. However, scrutinize stresses close attention to minute detail.

scrutinized the hospital bill

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scan
Verb
Applicant tracking systems scan for those keywords, and without them, you could be filtered out, often by AI itself. Julia Korn, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025 Microsoft Lens will be removed from both app stores on Nov. 15, and the scanning capability in the apps will be shut off on Dec. 15. PC Magazine, 9 Aug. 2025
Noun
After thousands of hours of digital reconstruction, the 3D scans clearly depicted tissue-thin bones encasing organs and musculature preserved in unprecedented detail. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 6 Aug. 2025 When a blood clot is suspected, imaging tools such as an ultrasound or CT scans are typically used to confirm the diagnosis and start treatment. Daryl Austin, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for scan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scan
Verb
  • Last year, the FAA's leadership under the Biden administration established a committee to examine the shortcomings of Part 450.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025
  • This would allow the team to examine offset sediment layers and date past quakes, providing a clearer picture of the fault's recurrence rate.
    Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • In case of doubt, competent authorities may carry out random on-site inspections of cybersecurity standards in the companies, for which the management can be held liable.
    Dennis-Kenji Kipker, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • But recent inspections at Boar’s Head sites in three states documented sanitation problems similar to those that led to the listeria contamination that killed 10 people and sickened dozens.
    Jonel Aleccia, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Officials also put new protections in place when issuing contracts, such as requiring the county’s contract procurement office to review all contracts that come from supervisors’ discretionary funds.
    Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Fraud or scams can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission, which reviews unfair or deceptive business practices across the U.S. Such complaints also can be filed directly with your local district attorney’s Consumer Protection Office.
    Tina Chen, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Carter said the lab is involved in fingerprinting, narcotics, toxicology and firearms examination.
    Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
  • This is where a SOC 2 examination has become the new litmus test for trust.
    Jatin Narang, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Last year, 13% of LGBTQ youths surveyed by the group reported being threatened with or subjected to the practice.
    Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Half of 326 Harvard students surveyed by the school’s undergraduate association and AI safety club were worried about AI’s impact on their job prospects.
    Victoria Feng, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The recent vote is only the first step of the dissolution process, which requires an audit.
    Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Shown the internal numbers by The News, Nurse said an outside audit of the agency was needed.
    Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Carefully inspect plants when buying since this fungus is often transmitted by nursery plants.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2025
  • As the fireline is constructed, inspected or reinforced, mappers record those details to adjust the containment percentage.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The upside for all involved: terms in a CBA that primarily relate to wages, hours and other working conditions, including interplay with NIL, would be exempt from antitrust scrutiny through the non-statutory labor exemption (which reflects a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions).
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • When Adobe’s $20 billion deal for smaller, scrappier rival Figma collapsed in 2023 under global antitrust scrutiny, investors set to reap billions complained loudly about Biden’s enforcers.
    Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Scan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scan. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

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