as in examining
to look over closely (as for judging quality or condition)
the project's time constraints make it impossible for the programmers to scrutinize every line of code, so some bugs should be expected
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Recent Examples of scrutinizing
Remember to look high and low, scrutinizing not just eye-level shelves but also the very top ledges and the floor beneath hanging clothes.
—
Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 28 Apr. 2026
Those promises fell by the wayside after Trump returned to the White House, and the administration began scrutinizing legal immigration processes.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 28 Apr. 2026
In the Allentown suburb of South Whitehall Township, community members are scrutinizing Atlas Industrial Data Center, a six-building, 5-million-square-foot-plus data center complex set to be built across the street from a high school, prompting concern from local residents.
—Caleigh Keating, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
This past week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said he's frustrated by journalists scrutinizing America's Middle East war and invoked scripture, comparing journalists to the ancient Jewish scholars who opposed Jesus.
—CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and his colleagues in other states are reportedly scrutinizing the merger and considering legal action to block it.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026
Throughout season two, rabid fans have started scrutinizing every corner of every scene for Easter eggs, which explains a recent viral post on X about a picture of a cat hanging in the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s break room.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
Still, astronomers and space experts have been scrutinizing SpaceX's plans, which include a proposal to launch a constellation of up to 1 million satellites for orbiting data centers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and his colleagues in other states are reportedly scrutinizing the merger and considering legal action to block it.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026
Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 28 Apr. 2026
Those promises fell by the wayside after Trump returned to the White House, and the administration began scrutinizing legal immigration processes.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 28 Apr. 2026
In the Allentown suburb of South Whitehall Township, community members are scrutinizing Atlas Industrial Data Center, a six-building, 5-million-square-foot-plus data center complex set to be built across the street from a high school, prompting concern from local residents.
—Caleigh Keating, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
This past week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said he's frustrated by journalists scrutinizing America's Middle East war and invoked scripture, comparing journalists to the ancient Jewish scholars who opposed Jesus.
—CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and his colleagues in other states are reportedly scrutinizing the merger and considering legal action to block it.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026
Throughout season two, rabid fans have started scrutinizing every corner of every scene for Easter eggs, which explains a recent viral post on X about a picture of a cat hanging in the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s break room.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
Still, astronomers and space experts have been scrutinizing SpaceX's plans, which include a proposal to launch a constellation of up to 1 million satellites for orbiting data centers.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and his colleagues in other states are reportedly scrutinizing the merger and considering legal action to block it.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrutinizing
Verb
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Given the highly turbulent nature of the solar atmosphere, researchers are now examining whether similar variations in type III burst drift rates could be driven by magnetic irregularities, including switchbacks or broader field deflections.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
-
Last month, Disability Law Colorado released a report examining conditions inside youth detention facilities.—
Karen Morfitt,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Coach Mitch Johnson must have known the Spurs needed to get the De’Aaron Fox-Victor Wembanyama pick-and-roll going more after reviewing Game 1.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
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Users will be able to choose between an automatic process, or reviewing changes to memory directly.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
6 May 2026
Verb
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That leaves pilots scanning readings on the dashboard or guessing which side has lost thrust — all as the plane may be losing altitude.—
James Glanz,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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Randy and Gwen McCurdy stood on their porch off Main Street on Monday night in Ottawa, Kansas, scanning the sky for signs of the storm.—
Tammy Ljungblad,
Kansas City Star,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The show is a culinary guessing game, where bakers must decode and decipher what type of dessert was made after surveying small clues like crumbs and food trails.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
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Many of us have dreamed of stepping into Carrie Bradshaw’s walk-in closet and surveying a sea of Manolo Blahnik shoe boxes.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The black-and-white surveillance video from November 2024 shows a masked thief carefully inspecting and stuffing seven of Van Gaver's pigeons into a bag.—
Sharyn Alfonsi,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
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When traveling, the EPA suggests inspecting any room visitors will be staying in for the presence of bed bugs.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrutinizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrutinizing. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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