English Dictionary

Define dictionary terms easily in our powerful online English dictionary.

Searching for...

No matching words found

Try a different search term or browse the dictionary

Definition scan in British English

scan verb

verb
/skæn/
1

to look at something very carefully, because you hope or expect to see a particular person or thing

Example

He scanned her face but there were no signs of emotion.

Example

Ella scanned the crowd for any sign of Geoff.

Example

The pilot was anxiously scanning the sky for other air traffic.

Synonyms and related words
1.1

to read something very quickly, in order to get a general idea of its meaning or to find particular information

Example

Merrill opened the letter, scanned it briefly, and threw it away.

Example

Tony scanned through the television programmes in the local newspaper.

Example

She scanned the paper for any news of them.

1.2

if a machine or computer program scans something, it examines it in order to look for a particular thing

Example

A program is supplied which scans for viruses and removes them.

Example

Every fifty metres there was a camera scanning the road.

Synonyms and related words
1.3

to examine an area using sonar or radar equipment in order to find objects in it

Example

The spacecraft scans the Earth's oceans with radar instruments.

Synonyms and related words
2

to use a piece of equipment to read and store information in digital form

Example

You can use photographs and then scan them onto your computer.

Example

His job was to scan barcodes in the store.

Example

You can scan in a photograph of your home.

Example

Documents are scanned into a computer and then converted to electronic form.

Synonyms and related words
2.1

if a piece of equipment scans a document, photograph etc, it changes it into a form that can be stored in a computer

Example

A printer that can fax, scan, and copy saves space.

Synonyms and related words
3

to use a piece of equipment to produce a picture of the inside of a part of your body

Example

In one test, the subjects' brains were scanned while they read to themselves.

Synonyms and related words
3.1

to use a piece of equipment to produce a picture of the inside of an object

Example

He waited while the X-ray machine scanned his luggage.

Synonyms and related words
3.2

to use a piece of equipment to see the developing baby in a pregnant woman

Synonyms and related words
4

if poetry scans, it has a regular rhythm (=pattern of beats)

Example

These are poems that neither rhyme nor scan.

Synonyms and related words
Definition scan in British English