What does examine mean?
Word: Examine
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Examine means to look at something very carefully to learn about it or to find a problem.
Synonyms: check, study
Antonyms: ignore
How do you spell examine?
Syllables: ex - am - ine
Tricky part: The x sounds like gz, which leads to spellings like egzamine and exzamine. The x does that job on its own.
Watch out for: egzamine, examene, exzamine
Memory tip: Picture a doctor holding an X-ray up to the light to examine it. That big X stands on its own, with no g or z beside it.
Examine in a sentence
Example 1: The doctor examined my throat with a small torch.
Example 2: We examined a leaf under the magnifying glass.
Example 3: Examine the map carefully before you choose a path.
Fun Fact
Examine comes from the Latin examen, the pointer on a weighing balance, so to examine something first meant to weigh it carefully.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
examine
a) describe
b) forget
c) admire
d) inspect
Show answer
d) inspect. To inspect is to look closely, just as you do when you examine.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
ex_m_ne
a) a, e
b) e, i
c) a, i
d) i, a
Show answer
c) a, i. Say it slowly, ig-ZAM-in: an a and then an i are the two vowels you hear.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) report
b) doctor
c) patient
d) examin
Show answer
d) examin. Examine ends with a silent e, and the misspelling has lost it.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
nexaime
a) exiamne
b) examine
c) exmaine
d) examien
Show answer
b) examine. Put the x straight after the first e, then the five letters left fall into place as you say the word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Who is examining something?
a) Sara, humming a song on the bus
b) Anu, studying a beetle through a lens
c) Ravi, kicking a ball against a wall
d) Om, running to catch the school van
Show answer
b) Anu, studying a beetle through a lens
2. Before a long drive, Dad examines the car tyres. Why does he do it?
a) to change their colour
b) to check that they are safe
c) to let some air out of them
d) to make them look shiny
Show answer
b) to check that they are safe
