1 to examine something

examine / ɪgˈzæmɪn, ɪgˈzæmən / [ transitive verb ] to look at

something carefully and thoroughly because you want to find
out more about it :
▪ Experts who examined the painting believe it is genuine.
▪ Her new book examines the causes of social discontent.
▪ A team of divers was sent down to examine the wreckage.
examine something for something
in order to find something
▪ The police will examine the weapon for fingerprints.
look carefully/closely / ˌlʌk ˈkeəʳf ə li, ˈkləʊsli / [ verb phrase
] to look carefully at something in order to see small details :
▪ If you look carefully, you can see the artist’s name in the
corner of the picture.
look carefully/closely at
▪ I had to look closely at the two fish to tell them apart.
take/have a look at / ˌteɪk, ˌhæv ə ˈlʊk æt / [ verb phrase ]
especially spoken to look carefully at something in order to find
out what is wrong with it or to find out something about it :
▪ ‘You’d better take a look at this,’ she said, passing me a letter.
▪ I’ve asked Ken to have a look at the car - it’s been making
strange noises.
take/have a good look at something
look very carefully and thoroughly
▪ Take a good look at the photograph and see if you recognize
anyone
analyze also analyse British / ˈænəlaɪz / [ transitive verb ] to
examine something closely and in detail, especially a problem or
a piece of information, in order to understand it :
▪ Scientists use computers to help analyse the data.
▪ One of the problems in analyzing the situation is that we do
not have all the information yet.
study / ˈstʌdi / [ transitive verb ] to spend a lot of time
examining something very carefully, for example a document, a
plan, or a problem :
▪ I won’t comment till I’ve had time to study the proposals.
▪ A team of scientists has been studying the effects of acid rain
over a twenty-year period.
check / tʃek / [ transitive verb ] to look at something carefully
and thoroughly to make sure that it is correct, safe, or working
properly :
▪ Their passports were checked by immigration officers at the
airport.
check something for something
in order to find something
▪ We need to check the building for structural damage.
check over / ˌtʃek ˈəʊvəʳ / [ transitive phrasal verb ] to quickly
examine every part of something to make sure that it is correct
or safe :
check over something
▪ The editor always checks over what I’ve written.
check something over
▪ I’m going to take the car in and ask the mechanic to check it
over before we go on vacation.
inspect / ɪnˈspekt / [ transitive verb ] to look at something
carefully and thoroughly to make sure that it is correct, safe, or
working properly, especially when it is your job to do this :
▪ The building is regularly inspected by a fire-safety officer.
▪ Russian and American teams will have the right to inspect
each other’s missile sites.
▪ Some insurance people have already been here to inspect the
damage caused by the storm.
inspect something for something
in order to find something
▪ All trucks coming through are inspected for mechanical
violations.
inspector [ countable noun ] an official whose job is to check that
something is correct, safe, or working properly: :
▪ a health and safety inspector
go through/go over / ˌgəʊ ˈθruː, ˌgəʊ ˈəʊvəʳ / [ transitive
phrasal verb ] to examine something such as a document or plan
thoroughly from beginning to end, especially in order to check
that it is correct :
▪ I’d like to go over last month’s accounts with you.
▪ You should still go through the contract with a lawyer before
you sign.
look over / ˌlʊk ˈəʊvəʳ / [ transitive phrasal verb ] to look at
every part of something in order to see if it is satisfactory, but
fairly quickly and without paying much attention to detail :
look over something
▪ I’ve looked over all the records and they seem okay.
look something over
▪ The book is expensive, so look it over to make sure it’s what
you really want.
scrutinize also scrutinise British / ˈskruːtɪnaɪz, ˈskruːtənaɪz / [
transitive verb ] to examine something very closely and carefully
in order to find out whether there is anything wrong, especially
because it is your official duty to do this :
▪ The coach’s assistants stood along the field and scrutinized
every move we made.
▪ The Federal Trade Commission is scrutinizing the proposed
merger of the two companies.

2 to examine someone
examine / ɪgˈzæmɪn, ɪgˈzæmən / [ transitive verb ] if a doctor
examines you, he or she looks at your body to find out if there
is anything wrong :
▪ I’m going to the hospital tomorrow to have my knee examined
again.
▪ The doctor examined her, but didn’t find anything wrong.
inspect / ɪnˈspekt / [ transitive verb ] to officially check someone
or make sure that they are doing their job properly - used
especially about soldiers and about teachers in Britain :
▪ General Allenby arrived to inspect the troops.
▪ The school will be inspected in May.
check up on / ˌtʃek ˈʌp ɒn / [ transitive phrasal verb ] informal
to check, especially secretly, that someone is doing what they
are supposed to do :
▪ Some companies use hidden cameras in order to check up on
their employees.
▪ I just want to call home and check up on the kids.
3 when something is examined
examination / ɪgˌzæmɪˈneɪʃ ə n, ɪgˌzæməˈneɪʃ ə n / [
countable/uncountable noun ] when someone looks at something
carefully and thoroughly to find out more about it :
examination of
▪ Mandelbaum’s new book is an examination of US foreign
policy.
careful/close/detailed/thorough examination
▪ A detailed examination of population statistics reveals a steady
decline in the birth rate.
be under examination
be in the process of being examined
▪ The committee’s latest proposals are still under examination.
on closer examination
when examined more carefully
▪ On closer examination the vases were found to be cracked in
several places.
analysis / əˈnæləsɪs, əˈnæləsəs / [ countable/uncountable noun ]
a detailed examination of something in order to understand it
better, especially when this involves studying a large amount of
information :
▪ Our analysis shows that the proposed cost for the new
highway is unrealistic.
analysis of
▪ An analysis of data from Australia shows that skin cancer is on
the increase.
detailed analysis
▪ The article provides a detailed analysis of various research
designs.
in the final analysis
after all other ideas have been considered
▪ In the final analysis, it is the better organized party that will
probably win.
check / tʃek / [ countable noun ] an examination of something to
make sure that it is correct, safe, or satisfactory :
check on
▪ There are regular checks on the quality of goods leaving our
factory.
carry out/run/do a check
make a check
▪ All routine safety checks were carried out before the flight.
spot check
an unplanned check on a thing or person that is chosen from a
group by chance
▪ Spot checks by customs officers led to the arrest of several
drug smugglers.
background check
a check on what someone has done in the past
▪ The agency does background checks on all the nannies it hires.
inspection / ɪnˈspekʃ ə n / [ countable/uncountable noun ] a
thorough examination of something, especially by someone in
an official position, in order to find out more about it or find out
if it is satisfactory :
inspection of
▪ There are regular inspections of the prison by government
health officers.
carry out an inspection
▪ Admiral Naumenko personally carried out an inspection of the
fleet.
on/upon closer inspection
when you look at something more carefully
▪ The bundle, on closer inspection, turned out to be a small
child.
study / ˈstʌdi / [ countable noun ] a careful examination of or
research into a particular subject or problem in which the
process and results are reported in a written document :
study of
▪ Studies of dolphins have shown that they are able to
communicate information to each other.
make a study
▪ A series of studies was made to discover the relationship
between diet and behavior.
scrutiny / ˈskruːtɪni, ˈskruːtəni / [ uncountable noun ] formal
careful and thorough examination of something :
▪ The company’s plans for expansion have attracted scrutiny
from consumer groups.
scrutiny of
▪ Airlines have increased their scrutiny of the size and amount of
carry-on luggage.
under scrutiny
▪ The city’s elections department has been under scrutiny since
last year.
close/intense/careful scrutiny
▪ Closer scrutiny of the document revealed a number of
interesting facts.
come under public scrutiny
begin to be closely examined by people
▪ Once you become famous your private life comes under public
scrutiny.

4 when a doctor examines someone

examination / ɪgˌzæmɪˈneɪʃ ə n, ɪgˌzæməˈneɪʃ ə n / [ countable
noun ] when a doctor examines someone’s body to find out if
there is anything wrong with them :
▪ After a brief examination by a local doctor, I was taken to the
city’s main hospital.
give somebody an examination
▪ Each of the prisoners was given a thorough medical
examination.
physical (examination) / ˌfɪzɪk ə l (ɪgˌzæmˈneɪʃ ə n) / [
countable noun ] a thorough examination of someone’s body and
general health by a doctor, especially to decide whether they
are fit to do a particular job :
▪ My insurance plan covers one complete physical per year.
get a physical (examination)
▪ Bobby has to get a physical before he can join the football
team.
give somebody a physical (examination)
▪ Prior to the study all test subjects were given physical
examinations.
check-up / ˈtʃek ʌp / [ countable noun ] a medical examination
to make sure that someone is healthy - especially one that is
done regularly :
▪ I see my dentist every six months for a check-up.
give somebody/something a check-up
▪ The vet gave both our horses a thorough check-up and
pronounced them fit to race.
post-mortem especially British /autopsy especially
American / pəʊst ˈmɔːʳtəm, ˈɔːtɒpsiǁ-tɑːpsi / [ countable noun ] a
medical examination of a dead body in order to find out how the
person died :
▪ A post-mortem revealed that the woman had died of blood
poisoning.
carry out/do/perform/conduct a post-mortem
▪ A police pathologist carried out a post-mortem on the body.
do/perform/conduct an autopsy
▪ Officials would not release the results of the autopsy that had
been performed on Gallagher.