verb · academic
investigate
/ɪnˈvɛstɪɡeɪt/in·VEST·i·gate
To examine or study something systematically in order to discover facts or information
Examples
“The committee will investigate the causes of the power outage.”
“Scientists continue to investigate possible links between diet and mental health.”
“Police investigated the accident and found no evidence of foul play.”
Band 8 sentence
“To establish causality, researchers must investigate potential confounders and apply rigorous statistical controls.”
Collocations
- investigate the causes of
- investigate allegations
- thoroughly investigate
Word family
Common mistakes
investigate about the problem→investigate / investigate into the problem
do an investigate→carry out an investigation / do an investigation
Say it for a higher band
5look into→6study→7+investigate
Synonyms
examine
study
Easily confused
examine
“The doctor will examine the patient for signs of infection.”
look into
“I'll look into the issue and get back to you.”
Related words
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In Sublist 4
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