Meaning & use
re-examine
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To look at or consider something again carefully, especially to check it or find new information.
Grammar: Takes an object: re-examine the evidence. You cannot say 're-examine' without saying what you are examining.
Patterns
- re-examine something
- re-examine whether ...
- re-examine something for something
The committee decided to re-examine the data before making a final decision.
She re-examined her notes to see if she had missed any important detail.
We need to re-examine our assumptions about what customers want.
verbtransitivelegallaw
To question a witness again in a court of law after the other side has questioned them.
Grammar: Used in legal contexts; the object is usually 'the witness' or 'the defendant'.
Patterns
- re-examine a witness
- re-examine the defendant
The defense lawyer was allowed to re-examine the witness after the cross-examination.
The judge asked the prosecutor to re-examine the expert on one point.
Word forms
| third person singular | re-examines |
|---|---|
| past tense | re-examined |
| past participle | re-examined |
| -ing form | re-examining |
Common combinations
- re-examine the evidence
- The police agreed to re-examine the evidence in the old case.
- re-examine your position
- After the debate, he re-examined his position on the issue.
- re-examine the facts
- Let's re-examine the facts before we blame anyone.
- re-examine a decision
- The board will re-examine its decision next month.
Synonyms and how they differ
- review
- More general and often means looking over something to check it, but it can also mean writing a report or giving an opinion.
- reassess
- Focuses on judging value or importance again, while 're-examine' focuses on looking at details again.
- reconsider
- Implies you may change your decision or opinion; 're-examine' only means you look again, not necessarily that you change.
Word family
- examine verb
- To look at something carefully, often for the first time.
- examination noun
- A careful look at something, or a formal test.
- re-examination noun
- The act of looking at or considering something again.
Commonly confused: re-examine or examine?
re-examine vs examine
Without the prefix 're-', it means looking at something for the first time. 'Re-examine' always means looking at it again.
Practice
The lawyer wanted to ______ the witness about the new evidence.
Choose one answer.
After 'wanted to', we need the base form of the verb: 're-examine'. 'Re-examining' is the -ing form and would need a different structure, and 're-examined' is past tense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “re-examine”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.