Meaning & use
inspection
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
An official or careful look at something to check its condition, quality, or safety.
Grammar: Can be countable (an inspection, several inspections) or uncountable (after inspection). Often followed by 'of': an inspection of the building.
Patterns
- an inspection of something
- carry out an inspection
- pass/fail an inspection
The health inspector carried out a surprise inspection of the kitchen.
The car failed its annual inspection because of faulty brakes.
After a careful inspection, the engineer approved the bridge for use.
nouncountableformal
A formal visit to a school, factory, or military unit to check that rules are being followed.
Grammar: Often used with 'carry out', 'conduct', or 'undergo'.
Patterns
- conduct an inspection
- undergo an inspection
- a school inspection
The school underwent a full inspection last term.
Military inspections are held every Friday morning.
The factory passed its safety inspection without any problems.
Word forms
| plural | inspections |
|---|
Common combinations
- safety inspection
- The restaurant closed for a safety inspection.
- quality inspection
- Every product goes through a quality inspection.
- on inspection
- On inspection, the damage turned out to be minor.
- close inspection
- Close inspection revealed a small crack in the glass.
- inspection report
- The inspection report listed several problems.
Synonyms and how they differ
- examination
- Often used for medical or academic checks; inspection is more common for official checks of buildings, vehicles, or schools.
- check
- More informal and general; inspection suggests a more thorough or official process.
- review
- Focuses on looking at something again to evaluate it; inspection focuses on checking condition or quality.
Word family
- inspect verb
- To look at something carefully or officially.
- inspector noun
- A person whose job is to inspect things.
- inspective adjective
- Relating to or involving inspection.
Commonly confused: inspection or inspection?
inspection vs inspection
Do not confuse with 'introspection', which means looking inward at your own thoughts.
Practice
The restaurant will have a health ______ next week.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs a noun after 'a health', so 'inspection' is correct. 'Inspect' is a verb, 'inspector' is a person, and 'inspective' is an adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inspection”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.