verb · neutral
investigate
/ɪnˈvɛstɪɡeɪt/in·VES·ti·gate
to try to discover the facts about something, especially a crime or accident
Examples
“The police are investigating the cause of the collision.”
“Journalists investigated the allegation and published their findings.”
“The committee will investigate complaints about the service.”
Band 8 sentence
“Detectives investigated the allegations meticulously, interviewing witnesses and reviewing CCTV footage until they established a clear timeline.”
Collocations
- investigate a crime
- investigate allegations
- thoroughly investigate
Word family
Common mistakes
investigate about→investigate (no preposition) / investigate something
make an investigate→carry out an investigation / investigate
Say it for a higher band
5look into→6examine→7+investigate
Synonyms
look into
examine
Easily confused
research
“The police will investigate the burglary while academics research the social causes of crime.”
look into
“We will look into the complaint and let you know what we find.”
Related words
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In Crime & Law
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