investigation

noun

Definition of investigationnext
as in inquiry
a systematic search for the truth or facts about something officials launched an extensive investigation of the plane crash

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for investigation
  1. inquiry
  2. examination
  3. exploration
  4. study
  5. probe
  6. research
Noun
  • The Dallas Examiner, which published several articles reporting on locals’ concerns, previously reported that there was a police investigation surrounding the works as evidence for alleged child abuse, but the museum had not responded to inquiries about it until now.
    Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 10 Jan. 2025
  • The inquiries led to the resignation of his police commissioner, first deputy mayor, deputy mayor for public safety, education chancellor, a senior adviser and the mayor’s chief adviser — who was herself indicted on state charges last month.
    William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Definition of inquiry
Noun
  • What began earlier in Iannucci’s career as simply skewering pompous politicians has matured into an examination of what happens when leaders with feet of mud let their egos make decisions that will change the lives of millions.
    Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025
  • The great Pam Adlon directs this fearless examination of friendship and fertility.
    Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
Definition of examination
Noun
  • His early exploration of this tradition can be heard on his first four Columbia albums—records that laid the groundwork for Dylan’s august career.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 16 Jan. 2025
  • The program’s exploration of time is highlighted by Stefan Hayn’s 2024 (2023), which juxtaposes political Berlin with private Bavaria, utilizing both film and painting as frames for observation.
    Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
Definition of exploration
Noun
  • According to WalletHub's recent study on the best places to live, Florida ranked second.
    Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Discovering Cannabis s Medicine By the time Macias had completed her graduate studies, cannabis had taken root in her mind, not just as a tool for scientific exploration, but as a solution for people left behind by traditional medicine.
    Javier Hasse, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Definition of study
Noun
  • Mikos shot and killed Joyce Brannon, a patient who was cooperating in a federal fraud probe of his Medicare billings, in January 2002 — just days before she was scheduled to testify before a federal grand jury, according to Tribune archives.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Full Story American Express to pay $230M to settle deceptive marketing, fraud probe American Express has agreed to pay $230 million to settle a federal probe into deceptive marketing practices and civil fraud allegations, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday.
    Aris Folley, The Hill, 16 Jan. 2025
Definition of probe
Noun
  • What’s next Our next phase of research is building on these findings by examining how impact investors seek out and respond to evidence of underperformance.
    Helet Botha, The Conversation, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Her research is centered on how societies are adapting (or not) to climate change and the impacts and vulnerabilities that come with it.
    Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Definition of research
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near investigation

investigating

investigation

investigations

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Investigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/investigation. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on investigation

Nglish: Translation of investigation for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of investigation for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.