Aw

SINCE 1828

JOIN MWU

GAMES

BROWSE THESAURUS

WORD OF THE DAY

WORDS AT PLAY

TIME TRAVELER

Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram

Top of Form

research

DICTIONARYTHESAURUS

Bottom of Form

JOIN MWU

GAMES

THESAURUS

WORD OF THE DAY

WORDS AT PLAY
TIME TRAVELER

Follow:Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram

research

noun

re·search | \ ri-ˈsərch , ˈrē-ˌsərch \

Definition of research

(Entry 1 of 2)

1: careful or diligent search

2: studious inquiry or examinationespecially : investigation or experimentation aimed at

the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the
light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws

3: the collecting of information about a particular subject

research

verb

researched; researching; researches

Definition of research (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1: to search or investigate exhaustivelyresearch a problem

2: to do research forresearch a book

intransitive verb

: to engage in research

Other Words from researchSynonymsMore Example SentencesLearn More

about research

Other Words from research

Verb

researchable \ ri-ˈsər-chə-bəl , ˈrē-ˌsər- \ adjective

researcher noun

Synonyms for research

Synonyms: Noun

delving, disquisition, examen, examination, exploration, inquest, inquiry, inquisition,inve

stigation, probation, probe, probing, study

Synonyms: Verb

delve (into), dig (into), examine, explore, inquire (into), investigate, look (into), probe

Visit the Thesaurus for More

Examples of research in a Sentence

Noun

She conducts research into the causes of Alzheimer's disease. Recent research shows
that the disease is caused in part by bad nutrition.

See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

But research and case studies are beginning to show promising signs -- a patient in
London is believed to be cleared of the infection, according to a study published this
March.— Jessie Yeung, CNN, "HIV diagnoses in the UK fall to lowest level in nearly 20
years," 5 Sep. 2019Creating a Chicago research and development facility is a way to
ensure their continued growth, Berends said.— Robert Channick, chicagotribune.com,
"In search of a healthier Slim Jim: Conagra to build new snacking innovation center in
Chicago," 4 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources
to reflect current usage of the word 'research.' Views expressed in the examples do not
represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of research

Noun

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb
1588, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

History and Etymology for research

Noun

Middle French recerche, from recercher to go about seeking, from Old

French recerchier, from re- + cerchier, sercher to search — more at SEARCH

Learn More about research

Share research

Post the Definition of research to FacebookShare the Definition of research on Twitter

Resources for research

Dictionary Entries near research

resculpt

res dominans

reseal

research

research and development

researchful

researchist

Phrases Related to research

research and development

research park

Statistics for research

Last Updated

9 Sep 2019

Look-up Popularity

Top 1% of lookups
Time Traveler for research

The first known use of research was in 1577

See more words from the same year

More Definitions for research

research

noun

English Language Learners Definition of research

(Entry 1 of 2)

: careful study that is done to find and report new knowledge about something

: the activity of getting information about a subject

research

verb

English Language Learners Definition of research (Entry 2 of 2)

: to study (something) carefully

: to collect information about or for (something)

See the full definition for research in the English Language Learners Dictionary

research

noun

re·search | \ ri-ˈsərch , ˈrē-ˌsərch\

Kids Definition of research

(Entry 1 of 2)

: careful study and investigation for the purpose of discovering and explaining new
knowledge

Other Words from research

researcher noun

research

verb

researched; researching

Kids Definition of research (Entry 2 of 2)

: to search or investigate thoroughlyDoctors researched the disease.

More from Merriam-Webster on research

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with research

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for research

Spanish Central: Translation of research

Nglish: Translation of research for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of research for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about research

Comments on research

What made you want to look up research? Please tell us where you read or heard it
(including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments

WORD OF THE DAY

repertoire

pieces a company or person can perform

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Top of Form

SUBSCRIBE

Bottom of Form

TEST YOUR VOCABULARY

Back to School Quiz

Which of the following is considered a plural form of syllabus?

syllabalacrasyllabubs

syllapodessyllabuses

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

TRENDING NOW

what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the ganderJohnson's comments spark searches

prorogueJohnson asks to suspend Parliament

theOhio State files trademark on common word

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and
advanced search—ad free!

MERRIAM-WEBSTER UNABRIDGED
WORDS AT PLAY

Scratching the Surface of ‘From Scratch’

Out of nothing comes something.

'Adverse' or 'Averse'?

Don't be opposed to using either one

Calling In a New ‘Brigade’

A dark tactic in internet democracy

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 9/6/19

Words from the week of 9/6/2019

ASK THE EDITORS

On Contractions of Multiple Words

You all would not have guessed some of these

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

WORD GAMES

Back to School Quiz

Pop quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ

Summer 2019 Words of the Day Quiz

The Word of the Day takes no vacation.

TAKE THE QUIZ

True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Dictionary Devil

The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?

PLAY THE GAME

Merriam Webster

Learn a new word every day. Delivered to your inbox!

Top of Form

SUBSCRIBE

Bottom of Form

OTHER MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARIES

SPANISH CENTRAL

LEARNER'S ESL DICTIONARY

WORDCENTRAL FOR KIDS

VISUAL DICTIONARY

SCRABBLE® WORD FINDER

MERRIAM-WEBSTER'S UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY

BRITANNICA ENGLISH - ARABIC TRANSLATION

NGLISH - SPANISH-ENGLISH TRANSLATION

FOLLOW US

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Instagram

Browse the Dictionary:

I
J

U
V

0-9

Home

Help

Apps

About Us

Shop

Advertising Info

Dictionary API
Contact Us

Video

Favorites

Word of the Year

Law Dictionary

Medical Dictionary

Privacy Policy

Terms of Use

Browse the Thesaurus

Browse the Medical Dictionary

Browse the Legal Dictionary

Browse the Spanish-English Dictionary

© 2019 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated