ENGLISH
REFERENCE

investigating

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˌɪnˈvɛstəˌɡeɪtɪŋ// UK //ɪnvˈɛstɪɡˌeɪtɪŋ// in·ves·ti·gat·ing

v. trying to find out the truth about something, like a crime or a scientific problem. You look at facts and details to understand what happened.

v. carrying out a systematic or formal inquiry to discover and examine the facts of an incident, allegation, or process. Often implies a search for hidden information or the cause of a specific phenomenon.


SIMPLE

The police are investigating the cause of the fire.

CONTEXTUAL

Scientists are currently investigating how the new medicine affects different age groups over several months.

COMPLEX

The committee spent several weeks investigating the financial irregularities before releasing a comprehensive report that detailed every missing transaction.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object; it can also be used intransitively when the context of the inquiry is already established.

Pitfall

investigating about the crimeinvestigating the crimeInvestigate is a transitive verb and does not require the preposition 'about' before its object.

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