Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense scans, present participle scanning, past tense, past participle scanned
1. verb
When you scan written material, you look through it quickly in order to find important or interesting information.
She scanned the advertisement pages of the newspapers. [VERB noun]
I haven't read much into it as yet. I've only just scanned through it. [VERB + through]
Synonyms: glance over, skim, look over, eye More Synonyms of scan
Scan is also a noun.
I just had a quick scan through your book again. [+ through]
2. verb [no passive]
When you scan a place or group of people, you look at it carefully, usually because you are lookingfor something or someone.
The officer scanned the room. [VERB noun]
She was nervous and kept scanning the crowd for Paul. [VERB noun + for]
He raised the binoculars to his eye again, scanning across the scene. [VERB preposition]
Synonyms: survey, search, investigate, sweep More Synonyms of scan
3. verb
If people scan something such as luggage, they examine it using a machine that can show or find things inside it that cannot be seen from the outside.
Their approach is to scan every checked-in bag with a bomb detector. [VERB noun]
[Also V, Vfor n]
scanninguncountable noun
...routine scanning of luggage. [+ of]
4. verb
If a computer disk is scanned, a program on the computer checks the disk to make sure that it does not contain a virus.
[computing]
The disk has no viruses–I've scanned it already. [VERB noun]
5. verb [usually passive]
If a picture or document is scanned into a computer, a machine passes a beam of light over it to make a copy of it in the computer.
[computing]
The entire paper contents of all libraries will eventually be scanned into computers. [beV-ed + into/onto]
Designs can also be scanned in from paper. [beV-ed + in/on]
6. verb
If a radar or sonar machine scans an area, it examines or searches it by sending radar or sonar beams over it.
The ship's radar scanned the sea ahead. [VERB noun]
7. countable noun
A scan is a medical test in which a machine sends a beam of X-rays over a part of your body in order to check that it is healthy.
He was rushed to hospital for a brain scan.
...a breast scan to check for cancer.
Synonyms: examination, scanning, ultrasound More Synonyms of scan
8. countable noun
If a pregnant woman has a scan, a machine using sound waves produces an image of her womb on a screen so that a doctor can see if her baby is developing normally.
9. verb
If a line of a poem does not scan, it is not the right length or does not have emphasis in the right places to match the rest of the poem.
He had written a few poems. Sid told him they didn't scan. [VERB]
More Synonyms of scan
scan in British English
(skæn)
verbWord forms: scans, scanning or scanned
1. (transitive)
to scrutinize minutely
2. (transitive)
to glance over quickly
3. (transitive) prosody
to read or analyse (verse) according to the rules of metre and versification
4. (intransitive) prosody
to conform to the rules of metre and versification
5. (transitive) electronics
to move a beam of light, electrons, etc, in a predetermined pattern over (a surface or region) to obtain information, esp either to sense and transmit or to reproduce a television image
6. (transitive)
to examine data stored on (magnetic tape, etc), usually in order to retrieve information
7.
to examine or search (a prescribed region) by systematically varying the direction of a radar or sonar beam
8. physics
to examine or produce or be examined or produced by a continuous charge of some variable
to scan a spectrum
9. medicine
to obtain an image of (a part of the body) by means of a scanner
noun
10.
the act or an instance of scanning
11. medicine
a.
the examination of a part of the body by means of a scanner
a brain scan
ultrasound scan
b.
the image produced by a scanner
Derived forms
scannable (ˈscannable)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from Late Latin scandere to scan (verse), from Latin: to climb
Scan in American English
or Scand
1.
Scandinavia
2.
Scandinavian
scan in American English
(skæn)
verb transitiveWord forms: scanned or ˈscanning
1.
to analyze (verse) in terms of its rhythmic components, as by counting accents and syllables and marking the metrical feet
2.
to look at closely or in a broad, searching way; scrutinize
3. US
to glance at quickly; consider hastily
4.
to examine, identify, or interpret (printed characters, video images, bar codes, etc.)
said of an electronic device
5. Computing
to examine (items in a file) in sequence in order to find those that meet a particular criterion
6. Medicine
to examine the structure or condition of an internal body organ with ultrasound, tomography, etc.
7. Electronics
to traverse (a region) with a succession of transmitted radar beams, usually radiated in a systematic pattern
8. Television
to traverse (a surface) rapidly and point by point with a beam of light or electronsin transmitting or reproducing the lights and shades of an image
verb intransitive
9.
to scan verse
10.
to conform to metrical principles
said of poetry
noun
11.
the act or an instance of scanning
12.
scope of vision
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈscrutiˌnize
Word origin
ME scannen < L scandere, to climb, mount (in LL, to scan): see descend
Examples of 'scan' in a sentence
scan
The aim is to scan the body from head to toe.
The Sun (2010)
They did various brain scans and heart scans which proved satisfactory.
The Sun (2011)
It also means using scanning machines that can detect hidden explosives.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Doctors did scans but it took a long while for her to be diagnosed.
The Sun (2015)
The couple announced the news on a homemade internet video which includes footage of her ultrasound scan.
The Sun (2013)
You can compare these on the computer after scanning in the photographs.
The Sun (2006)
She required a full chest examination and a scan.
The Sun (2012)
One machine after another carefully scanned my body.
Christianity Today (2000)
The sites were identified by a radar scan.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Your doctor will recommend scans to check this.
The Sun (2012)
Body scanning and new fabrication techniques are opening up more possibilities in this direction.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The research pooled data from past studies of lab animals along with brain scans of humans.
The Sun (2016)
He added that the ease of use meant clinics could also scan more patients in less time.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Then they scanned her chest again and discovered that the cancer had spread to her lungs after all.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He thinks that he will be the first celebrity to be measured by their brand new scanning machine.
The Sun (2015)
Wulfgar scanned the hills again and it was as if he heard voices in the back of his mind.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss THE WOLF AND THE DOVE
And after a team of specialists examined her scans last month, the lumps were dismissed as benign.
The Sun (2015)
I find myself constantly scanning for threats.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Example: the removal of a lung cancer tumour can be carried out with images of the lung surface and images of a scan showing the tumour.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
scan
British English: scan /skæn/ NOUN
A scan is a medical test in which a machine sends a beam of X-rays over a part of your body in order to check whether your organs are healthy.
...a brain scan.
American English: scan
Arabic: مَسْحٌ ضَوْئيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: exame
Chinese: 扫描
Croatian: sken
Czech: rentgen vyšetření
Danish: scanning
Dutch: scan
European Spanish: exploración
Finnish: tutkimus laitteella
French: scanner
German: Ultraschalluntersuchung
Greek: σάρωση
Italian: scansione
Japanese: 綿密な調査
Korean: 정밀검사
Norwegian: skanning
Polish: skan
European Portuguese: exame
Romanian: radiografie
Russian: получение рентгеновского изображения
Latin American Spanish: exploración
Swedish: avsökning
Thai: การตรวจรายละเอียด
Turkish: tarama bilgisayar
Ukrainian: знімок
Vietnamese: việc xem kỹ
British English: scan /skæn/ VERB
When you scan an area, a group of things, or a piece of writing, you look at it carefully, usually because you are looking for something in particular.
Joss scanned the crowd for the child's mother.
American English: scan
Arabic: يـَمْسَحُ الكترونياً
Brazilian Portuguese: escanear
Chinese: 扫描
Croatian: skenirati
Czech: zkoumat podrobně
Danish: scanne
Dutch: afspeuren
European Spanish: explorar escanear
Finnish: tutkia tutkia laitteella, yksityiskohtaisesti, käydä läpi pikaisesti
French: scruter
German: absuchen
Greek: διερευνώ
Italian: scrutare
Japanese: 細かく調べる
Korean: 자세히 살피다
Norwegian: skanne
Polish: skanować
European Portuguese: digitalizar
Romanian: a scruta
Russian: изучать
Latin American Spanish: explorar examinar
Swedish: skanna
Thai: ตรวจรายละเอียด
Turkish: taramak bilgisayar
Ukrainian: уважно переглядати
Vietnamese: xem kỹ
All related terms of 'scan'
CT scan
a scan done by a computerized tomography scanner
CAT scan
→ CT scan
PET scan
a type of tomography that, through the use of radioactive tracers , shows the metabolism , as of glucose , in the body, esp. the brain: used in diagnosing abnormalities
PETT scan
→ PET scan
brain scan
an examination of the brain , using radiological scanning techniques , used in medical diagnosis and scientific research
duplex scan
a scan that uses sound waves to show how well the blood is flowing in arteries
helical scan
denoting a recording technique used with video tapes in which the recorded tracks on the tape are segments of a helix
ultrasound scan
ultrasonic waves at frequencies above the audible range (above about 20 kHz), used in cleaning metallic parts, echo sounding , medical diagnosis and therapy , etc