research

To search or examine with continued care; to seek diligently.

Noun

  1. Diligent inquiry or examination to seek or revise facts, principles, theories, applications, etc. (that are currently available, or that are familiar to one's self).
    • In an era when political leaders promise deliverance from decline through America’s purported preeminence in scientific research, the news that science is in deep trouble in the United States has been as unwelcome as a...
    • The research station that houses Wang and his team is outside Lijiang, a city of about 1.2 million people.
  2. A particular instance or piece of research.
    • The dearest interests of parties have frequently been staked on the results of the researches of antiquaries. - 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter I, in The History of England from the Accession of James the...
    • The first step I took in this so necessary a research, was to examine the motives, the justice, the necessity and expediency of the revolution[…] - 1747, The Scots magazine, volume 9, page 567:
    • Although very numerous researches have been made on the differentiation of striped muscles, and on the termination of their motor nerve-fibres, yet the multifarious observations have often been too incomplete to lead to...

Origin

Early Modern French rechercher (“to examine closely”), from Old French recerchier (“to seek, to look for”), by surface analysis, re- + search.

Forms

researches

Synonyms

investigation exploration examination study inquiry scrutiny

Hyponyms

action research advocacy research basic research bioresearch cluster research empirical research historical research marketing research market research operational research operations research oppo research opposition research primary research qualitative research quantitative research scientific research secondary research space research structural research time-use research unobtrusive research

Related

research octane number research paper recherche

Derived

antiresearch bioresearcher consumer research coresearcher customer research dual-use research of concern eco-research gain-of-function research immunoresearch metaresearch neuroresearch nonresearch nonresearched nonresearcher nonresearching overresearched proresearch researchability researchable research and development research assistant research chemical researchee researcher

Verb

  1. To search or examine with continued care; to seek diligently.
  2. To make an extensive investigation into.
  3. To search again.
  4. To receive a certain response in market research.
    • Agency and bank staff told the newspaper the ad researched well.

Forms

researches researching researched

Derived

misresearch nonresearched nonresearching overresearched reresearch underresearched unresearched