Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Careful study of a given subject, field, or problem, undertaken to discover facts or principles.
  • noun An act or period of such study.
  • intransitive verb To engage in or perform research.
  • intransitive verb To study (something) thoroughly so as to present in a detailed, accurate manner.
  • intransitive verb To do research for.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To search or examine with continued care; examine into or inquire about diligently.
  • To search again; examine anew.
  • noun Diligent inquiry, examination, or study; laborious or continued search after facts or principles; investigation: as, microscopical research; historical researches.
  • noun In music, an extemporaneous composition preluding the performance of a work, and introducing some of its leading themes.
  • noun Synonyms Investigation, Inquiry, etc. (see examination), exploration.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Diligent inquiry or examination in seeking facts or principles; laborious or continued search after truth.
  • noun Systematic observation of phenomena for the purpose of learning new facts or testing the application of theories to known facts; -- also called scientific research. This is the research part of the phrase “research and development” (R&D).
  • transitive verb To search or examine with continued care; to seek diligently.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable Diligent inquiry or examination to seek or revise facts, principles, theories, applications, etc.; laborious or continued search after truth.
  • noun countable A particular instance or piece of research.
  • verb transitive To search or examine with continued care; to seek diligently.
  • verb intransitive To make an extensive investigation into.
  • verb transitive To search again.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb inquire into
  • verb attempt to find out in a systematically and scientific manner
  • noun systematic investigation to establish facts
  • noun a search for knowledge

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Obsolete French recerche, from recercher, to search closely, from Old French : re-, re- + cerchier, to search; see search.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Early Modern French rechercher ("to examine closely"), from Old French recerchier ("to seek, to look for").

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Examples

  • WORDS ACCENTED ON THE LAST SYLLABLE: address _address'_ adept _adept'_ adult _adult'_ ally _ally'_ commandant _commandänt '(ä as in arm) _ contour _contour'_ dessert _dessert'_ dilate _dilate'_ excise _eksiz'_ finance _finance'_ grimace _grimace'_ importune _importune'_ occult _occult'_ pretence _pretence'_ research _research'_ robust _robust'_ romance _romance'_ tirade _tirade'_

    Practical Grammar and Composition Thomas Wood

  • The objective of this research is the development of novel approaches to creating modular computer codes which will make it much easier to develop and apply computer models to an extended range of applications in research, industry and education.

    Russell A. Hulse - Autobiography 1994

  • However, this federally restricted use of the word research does not mean that the observations from personal life (herein called Type I Investigations) or experimenter pretesting (Type II Investigations) are either unimportant or uninformative and should therefore be dismissed.

    The Sacred Promise Phd Gary E. Schwartz 2011

  • In everyday language, the word research has a broad spectrum of applications.

    The Sacred Promise Phd Gary E. Schwartz 2011

  • The process of self-science extends beyond restricted semantic uses of the term research; it encompasses the deepest sense of what it means to do research.

    The Sacred Promise Phd Gary E. Schwartz 2011

  • "Investing in research is like investing in better brake linings, when taking your foot off the accelerator would do just as well."

    An easy solution to climate change? Stephen Stromberg 2010

  • The process of self-science extends beyond restricted semantic uses of the term research; it encompasses the deepest sense of what it means to do research.

    The Sacred Promise Phd Gary E. Schwartz 2011

  • However, this federally restricted use of the word research does not mean that the observations from personal life (herein called Type I Investigations) or experimenter pretesting (Type II Investigations) are either unimportant or uninformative and should therefore be dismissed.

    The Sacred Promise Phd Gary E. Schwartz 2011

  • However, sometimes the word research is by necessity employed in the general everyday context of the word because it is the clearest way to convey the fact that the scientific method can be applied in our personal lives as well as in university laboratories.

    The Sacred Promise Phd Gary E. Schwartz 2011

  • The word research has both general and specialized meanings, and it is essential that I clarify how the term is being used in this book.

    The Sacred Promise Phd Gary E. Schwartz 2011

  • Zombie research haunts academic literature long after its supposed demiseDubious papers taint specialist journals long after they have been retracted

    Zombie research haunts academic literature long after its supposed demise The Economist 2021

Comments

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  • “Copy from one, it's plagiarism; copy from two, it's research.�?

    – Wilson Mizner (1876-1933)

    August 28, 2007

  • so what do we talk about now?

    October 31, 2008

  • well idk if i like her

    October 31, 2008

  • i need to sneeze

    October 31, 2008

  • do you (bonnie)

    October 31, 2008

  • mean either i just don't want to be around her.

    Is that not liking her?

    Idk whatevs

    October 31, 2008

  • oh nice i need to fart l0ol

    October 31, 2008

  • yea me too thats how i feel

    October 31, 2008

  • hahahahahahahahahahaha

    October 31, 2008

  • hahahahahahahahahahaha

    October 31, 2008

  • its a big one lol

    October 31, 2008

  • hahahaa then do it....i want to laugh

    hee hee

    October 31, 2008

  • oops

    October 31, 2008

  • aw gawd I can smeel it

    October 31, 2008

  • i havent done it yet lol

    what sre you smelling

    October 31, 2008

  • i think i burp i might blow the whoile school away.........hahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhaha

    October 31, 2008

  • yea you will lol

    October 31, 2008

  • my upper lip

    October 31, 2008

  • (bonnie) what about your upper lip?

    October 31, 2008

  • thats what im smelling

    anyways what are you all doing for halloween?

    October 31, 2008

  • sooo......anything more about brennah?

    October 31, 2008

  • do you like her?

    October 31, 2008

  • i mean....i dont know i am confused. i mean i like her but she can be really annoying sometimes. you know what i mean?

    October 31, 2008

  • i think if your scared she will find out you don't like her, then she will have nobody.

    October 31, 2008

  • I HATE YOU!!!1!! YOU AARE ALL JERKS! Taylor and Bonnie you will be sorry.

    October 31, 2008

  • Please, could you all take this somewhere else? Wordie isn't here for IMing. Thanks.

    October 31, 2008

  • A wonderful contribution to research. The Bogan Forensics Team will be dissecting this chat for years.

    October 31, 2008

  • Serious question: how long has "research" been accepted as a verb?

    January 21, 2009

  • 1593 G. HARVEY New Letter Ciij, Some that haue perused eloquent bookes, and researched most curious writinges.

    Also quotations from Sir Henry Wotton (ante 1639), Walton (1665), Horace Walpole (1781, conscious of it as a noticeable usage), Southey (1801), Moore (1811), etc. etc.

    And the OED's current revisions haven't quite reached RES- yet, so there's a good chance of antedates when they do. The corresponding verb exists in French, Italian, and Mediaeval Latin: it's not a conversion from the noun in English.

    January 21, 2009

  • Perfect! Just what I needed to clinch a frindley argument I'm having.

    January 25, 2009