Inspect

/ɪnˈspekt/

verbBeginner📊CommonAction
1 meaning1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

1

To look at something or someone carefully in order to learn more about them or to find any problems.

/ɪnˈspekt/

verbneutralBeginner
Action

To examine closely and carefully.

The mechanic inspected the engine for damage.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're a detective. Inspecting is like giving something a good, close look to see what's going on. Like checking if your bike tires have enough air or if your sandwich is made correctly!

👶 For kids: To look at something very carefully to see if it's okay or if there's anything wrong.

More Examples

2

Before buying the house, they inspected the roof for leaks.

3

The teacher inspected the students' work.

How It's Used

General

"The police officer inspected the crime scene."

Medical

"The doctor will inspect your eyes for any signs of disease."

Business

"The manager inspected the factory floor for safety violations."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

Inspection

A careful examination or official visit to check something.

"The factory underwent a safety inspection."

From Latin *inspicere*, meaning "to look into," from *in-* (in) + *specere* (to look).

Historically, used in legal and military contexts to describe a formal examination or review.

Memory tip

Imagine an 'IN' inside the word, like looking 'IN' to see something.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"to look"

carefully inspectthoroughly inspectinspect the buildinginspect the damageinspect the engine

Common misspellings

inspecinspektinsepct

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written