As soon as I can get my son to scan our family photos, I'll upload some of them to our website.
Source: tatoeba (953138)
Scan
/skæn/
Synonyms for "scan" (273 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (55)
Strong matches (82)
eyereacheyeshoteyesightfield of viewfield of visionflip throughgive an examinationgive the once-overglanceglance atglance overglance throughgogo overhit the high spotshome in onhome onhorizonidentifyinspect
Show 28 more words
inspectioninvestigateitemizejinglekenlimit of visionline of sightlooklook atlook overlook throughmapminemonitornaked eyenumberobservationobserveoutlineoutlookoutlook overoverhauloverhaulingoverlookoverviewpage throughparsepass over
Noun(25 words)
Adjective(1 words)
monitored entry
Related words (136)
pass over lightlypass under reviewpeerpeer atperlustrationperspectiveperusalperusepick uppinpointpore overpostmortemprospectquality controlrangereceivereconnaissanceresearchresolvereview
Show 42 more words
reviewerrhymerun overrun throughrun-throughschematizescopescope of visionscreenscrupulousscrutinizescrutinyseeset an examinationsightsightlinesssizesize upskimskim overskip overslip throughslurslur overspotstudysurveysweeptake stock oftake the measurethumb overthumb throughtouch upontouch upon lightlytraversetriggertune inviewvisitationvistawatchzip through
Noun(60 words)
periscopespollingpreviewpreviewsradarsradiologic examreading descriptorreading excerptreading exercisereading scatterreading skillsreading spacesreading taskreading topic ideasreccyregardrifflerummagesscanningscauper
Show 40 more words
Adjective(1 words)
physical search
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: alliterate, analysis, assonate, audit, autopsy.
- Sentence evidence is available for scan, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, opengloss, derived_reverse, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "scan".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "scan"
Keep "scan" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "scan" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "scan", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "scan" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
25 entriesShowing 16 of 25 words.
More specific
16 entriesCTCT scanMRIMRI scanPETPET scanbarcode scancontent scandocument scanimage scankeyword searchrapid scanscreening scantext scanultrasoundultrasound scan
Collocations
11 entriesCT scanMRI scanPET scanbarcode scandigital scandocument scanfull body scanrapid scanscanning protocolultrasound scanwhole body scan
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
4 entriesTranslations
48 translations across 19 languages.
Arabic
3 entries- تَمَعَّنَ verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- درس verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- مَحَّصَ verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Bulgarian
1 entries- изучавам verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Catalan
1 entries- escorcollar verb (to look about for; to look over quickly)
Dutch
1 entries- afspeuren verb (to look about for; to look over quickly)
Estonian
2 entries- otsima verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- otsima verb (to look about for; to look over quickly)
Finnish
4 entries- kammata verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- silmäillä verb (to look about for; to look over quickly)
- tutkia verb (to look about for; to look over quickly)
- tutkia järjestelmällisesti verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
French
2 entries- fouiller verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- scanner verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Greek
3 entries- ανιχνεύω verb (to look about for; to look over quickly)
- διερευνώ verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- εξετάζω verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Hebrew
1 entries- סָרַק verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Hungarian
4 entries- rápillant verb (to look about for; to look over quickly)
- szemügyre vesz verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- végignéz verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- végigpásztáz verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Italian
1 entries- scrutare verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Latin
1 entries- percurrō verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Māori
4 entries- karapa verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- matawai verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- mātai verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- mātai verb (to look about for; to look over quickly)
Norman
1 entries- scanner verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Portuguese
1 entries- varrer verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Romanian
4 entries- a baleia imaginea verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- cerceta verb (to look about for; to look over quickly)
- explora verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- scana verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Russian
1 entries- разгля́дывать verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Spanish
1 entries- escrutar verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Swedish
3 entries- avsöka verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
- avsöka verb (to look about for; to look over quickly)
- genomsöka verb (to examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely)
Sample sentences
28 total sentences available.
I have to be honest. I was a little bit nervous the first time I had an MRI scan.
Source: tatoeba (953481)
He's a strange doctor. He said that a full diagnosis would require him to scan the patient's body in other dimensions.
Source: tatoeba (1467997)
Please scan the diary for clues.
Source: tatoeba (2755257)
Showing 4 of 28 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "scan"?
Closest matches include alliterate, analysis, assonate, audit, autopsy.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "scan"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.