scan Meaning & Definition
What Does Scan Mean?
Scan is a verb that means To examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely. It is also used to mean To inspect, analyse or go over, often to find something. As a noun, it means A close investigation. Of written things, a careful reading.
Scan at a Glance
| Part of speech | verb, noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | //skæn// |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | skim, read and glance over |
| Plural | scans |
| Verb forms | scans, scanning, scanned |
Scan Definition (Verb)
- To examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely.
She scanned the passage carefully but could not find what she was looking for.
- To inspect, analyse or go over, often to find something.
to scan the hard drive for errors
- To look about for; to look over quickly. To perform lexical analysis; to tokenize.
- To perform lexical analysis; to tokenize.
- To create an image of something with the use of a scanner.
to scan a photograph
- To read with an electronic device.
to scan a barcode
- To mount by steps; to go through with step by step.
- To read or mark so as to show a specific metre.
- To conform to a metrical structure.
Scan as a Noun
- A close investigation. Of written things, a careful reading.
- Of written things, a careful reading.
- Of written things, a cursory reading: a skim.
- An instance of scanning.
The operators vacated the room during the scan.
- The result or output of a scanning process.
The doctors looked at the scans and made a diagnosis.
- A higher-order function that applies a binary operation to a sequence of values, starting with an accumulator, and returns a new sequence with the results.
Synonyms of Scan
Scan synonyms and antonyms →Antonyms of Scan
No antonyms or near antonyms are listed by the available sources for this entry.
Scan in a Sentence
She scanned the passage carefully but could not find what she was looking for.
He scanned the horizon.
to scan the hard drive for errors
to scan a photograph
to scan internal organs by means of computed tomography
Pencil drawings don't scan very well.
to scan a barcode
to scan a QR code
The operators vacated the room during the scan.
The doctors looked at the scans and made a diagnosis.
Word Forms & Grammar
scan (third-person singular simple present scans, present participle scanning, simple past and past participle scanned)
scan (plural scans)
Words That Rhyme With Scan
Origin of Scan
From late Middle English scanne (“to mark off verse to show metrical structure”), from earlier scanden, from Late Latin scandere (“to scan verse”), from Classical Latin scandō (“to climb, rise, mount”), from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to jump, dart, climb, scale, scan”).
Scan Pronunciation
Scan is pronounced //skæn// and has 1 syllable.
Quick Answers About Scan
Is scan a verb or a noun?
Scan is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as a noun.
What is another word for scan?
Words with a similar meaning to scan include skim, read and glance over. See the full list of scan synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of scan?
The plural of scan is scans.
What is the past tense of scan?
The past tense of scan is scanned. The present participle is scanning.