scan meaning

UK /skæn/ US /skæn/ 1 syllable

scan (verb): examine minutely or intensely.

scan has 9 meanings in this dictionary, as verb and noun.

scan as a verb

  1. examine minutely or intensely
    • the surgeon scanned the X-ray

    Type of: examine

    Kinds: glass

  2. examine hastily
    • She scanned the newspaper headlines while waiting for the taxi

    Synonyms: skim, rake, glance over, run down

    Type of: examine

  3. make a wide, sweeping search of
    • The beams scanned the night sky

    Type of: search

    Related forms: scanner

  4. conform to a metrical pattern

    Type of: conform

  5. move a light beam over; in electronics, to reproduce an image

    Type of: move

    Related forms: scanner, scanning

  6. read metrically
    • scan verses

    Type of: declaim

    Related forms: scansion, scanner

  7. obtain data from magnetic tapes or other digital sources
    • This dictionary can be read by the computer

    Synonyms: read

    Type of: interpret

    Kinds: misread

scan as a noun

  1. the act of scanning; systematic examination of a prescribed region
    • he made a thorough scan of the beach with his binoculars

    Type of: examination

  2. an image produced by scanning
    • he analyzed the brain scan
    • you could see the tumor in the CAT scan

    Synonyms: CAT scan

    Type of: picture

How to pronounce scan

scan is pronounced /skæn/ in British English and /skæn/ in American English. It has 1 syllable.

Words that rhyme with scan

Word lists: words starting with SC · words ending in AN · 4-letter words

More about scan on Wikipedia.