investigation
noun OPAL W
/ɪnˌvestɪˈɡeɪʃn/
/ɪnˌvestɪˈɡeɪʃn/
[countable, uncountable]- an official examination of the facts about a situation, crime, etc.
- a criminal/murder/police investigation
- an accident investigation team
- The president has promised a full investigation.
- The authorities have launched an investigation to determine why the ferry sank.
- under investigation (for something) She remains under investigation for fraud.
- under investigation (for doing something) He is under investigation for assaulting a teenager.
- investigation into something The police are conducting ongoing investigations into the man's death.
- Officials are calling for an investigation into the incident.
- on investigation On investigation, the noise turned out to be only a door banging.
- pending an investigation He is suspended pending a thorough investigation (= until an investigation has happened) of the allegations.
Collocations CrimeCrimeCommitting a crime- commit a crime/a murder/a violent assault/a brutal killing/an armed robbery/fraud
- be involved in terrorism/a suspected arson attack/people smuggling/human trafficking
- engage/participate in criminal activity/illegal practices/acts of mindless vandalism
- steal somebody’s wallet/purse/(British English) mobile phone/(North American English) cell phone
- rob a bank/a person/a tourist
- break into/ (British English) burgle/ (North American English) burglarize a house/a home/an apartment
- hijack a plane/ship/bus
- smuggle drugs/weapons/arms/immigrants
- launder drug money (through something)
- forge documents/certificates/passports
- take/accept/pay somebody/offer (somebody) a bribe
- run a phishing/an email/an internet scam
- combat/fight crime/terrorism/corruption/drug trafficking
- prevent/stop credit-card fraud/child abuse/software piracy
- deter/stop criminals/burglars/thieves/shoplifters/vandals
- reduce/tackle/crack down on knife/gun/violent/street crime; (especially British English) antisocial behaviour
- foil a bank raid/a terrorist plot
- help/support/protect the victims of crime
- report a crime/a theft/a rape/an attack/(especially British English) an incident to the police
- witness the crime/attack/murder/incident
- investigate a murder/(especially North American English) a homicide/a burglary/a robbery/the alleged incident
- conduct/launch/pursue an investigation (into…); (especially British English) a police/murder inquiry
- investigate/reopen a criminal/murder case
- examine/investigate/find fingerprints at the crime scene/the scene of crime
- collect/gather forensic evidence
- uncover new evidence/a fraud/a scam/a plot/a conspiracy/political corruption/a cache of weapons
- describe/identify a suspect/the culprit/the perpetrator/the assailant/the attacker
- question/interrogate a suspect/witness
- solve/crack the case
Extra ExamplesTopics Crime and punishmentb2- The police have completed their investigations into the accident.
- Chief Supt Brian Allwood has been leading the investigation.
- She headed the investigations into the bribery allegations.
- An official investigation concluded that 9 000 people were killed or went missing during that period.
- The company confirmed that an internal investigation was under way.
- He was on trial for allegedly obstructing an investigation into the bank's dealings.
- Police are still pursuing their investigations.
- The authorities conducted an extensive investigation into his tax affairs.
- The board of directors commissioned its own internal investigation.
- The ongoing investigation has led to numerous intelligence leads.
- These claims certainly warrant further investigation.
- He called for investigation into the hospital's management.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- careful
- close
- detailed
- …
- carry out
- conduct
- pursue
- …
- demonstrate something
- reveal something
- show something
- …
- on investigation
- under investigation
- investigation into
- …
- the subject of an investigation
- a scientific or academic examination of the facts of a subject or problem synonym enquiry
- Further investigation revealed a flaw in this theory.
- Refer patients with these symptoms for further investigation.
- investigation into something the results of a preliminary investigation into stress at work
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- careful
- close
- detailed
- …
- carry out
- conduct
- pursue
- …
- demonstrate something
- reveal something
- show something
- …
- on investigation
- under investigation
- investigation into
- …
- the subject of an investigation
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin investigatio(n-), from the verb investigare, from in- ‘into’ + vestigare ‘track, trace out’.