lexicow

research

/rɪˈsɜːrtʃ//rɪˈsɜːtʃ/·noun, verb
I watch clues pinned around a board, and one by one a thread is drawn from each to the middle, the question there steadying as the connections close. When the last thread lands, a magnifying glass swings over the centre and the question turns into a solved mark, crisp under the lens. Pin enough, connect enough, look close enough — and a tangle of scraps becomes one clear answer.
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Definition

Research is the patient, systematic search for knowledge — gathering evidence, testing a hypothesis, and building conclusions you can defend. The word comes through French from re- and cercher, 'to seek again', and that repetition is the point: research circles back, checks, and scrutinizes until a finding holds. As a noun it is almost always uncountable — you do research, not 'a research', a slip that trips up many candidates. As a verb, to research a topic is to investigate it methodically rather than to guess.

Examples

  • Years of research were needed to substantiate the drug's safety.
  • Her research focuses on how coral reefs adapt to warming oceans.
  • Careful research lets you infer general patterns from limited data.

Collocations

conduct research·carry out research·a body of research·research suggests·extensive research

Synonyms

investigation·study·inquiry·examination·analysis

Word family

researcher (noun)·researched (adjective)

In TOEFL & IELTS

Extremely high-frequency and a classic accuracy trap: research is uncountable, so write 'a piece of research' or 'some research', never 'a research' or 'researches'. Build the collocations — 'conduct / carry out research', 'research suggests / indicates', 'a body of research'. Note the US–UK stress difference (REsearch vs reSEARCH). It is indispensable for TOEFL integrated writing, where you report what research shows.