investigate
/ɪnˈvestɪɡeɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈvestɪɡeɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈve-stə-ˌgāt/ (ame, mw)
investigate — verb
- investigatepresent simple I / you / we / they
- investigateshe / she / it
- investigatedpast simple
- investigating-ing form
1. to look into something — such as a crime, a complaint, or a claim — very careful
to look into something — such as a crime, a complaint, or a claim — very carefully, with the goal of discovering what really happened or why it happened.
Detective Christopher is investigating a series of thefts at the local museum.
active: investigate + [crime]
The cause of the fire was investigated by a team of experts for three months.
passive: be investigated by [agent]
Kian's team is investigating whether the new engine emits less pollution.
A special committee will investigate how the money was spent on the school project.
Élise asked the landlord to investigate the strange noise coming from the basement.
- examine
broader meaning; can mean simply looking at something closely, not necessarily to find the truth
- probe
suggests a more penetrating inquiry, often with suspicion; slightly more formal
- look into
less formal, common in everyday speech; covers informal as well as formal inquiry
- explore
broader and less accusatory; often used for learning and discovery rather than solving wrongdoing
文法句型
investigate + noun (crime/incident/claim)
investigate + whether/what/how/who
用法筆記
Commonly used with crimes, incidents, claims, and allegations as the object. Also frequently takes an indirect question (whether, how, what, why). The passive form (be investigated) is very common in news reports and formal writing.