scan

scan¹ [skæn] v past tense and past participle scanned present participle scanning

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1¦(look at)¦

2¦(read)¦

3¦(see inside)¦

4¦(computer)¦

5¦(poetry)¦

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[Date: 1300-1400; : Late Latin; Origin: scandere, from Latin, 'to climb']

1.) ¦(LOOK AT)¦ [T]

to examine an area carefully but quickly, often because you are looking for a particular person or thing

▪ He scanned the horizon, but there was no sign of the ship.

▪ She scanned his face, looking for signs of what he was thinking.

▪ Video cameras scanned the car park.

scan sth for sth

▪ I scanned the street for people I knew.

2.) ¦(READ)¦ also scan through [T]

to read something quickly

= ↑skim scan sth for sth

▪ I scanned the page for her name.

▪ She scanned through the paper.

3.) ¦(SEE INSIDE)¦ [T]

if a machine scans something, it passes an electrical beam over it to form a picture of what is inside it

→↑scanner

▪ All luggage has to be scanned at the airport.

▪ They scanned his brain for signs of damage.

4.) ¦(COMPUTER)¦ [T]

if you scan a document or picture, you put it into a machine attached to a computer so that the information in the document can be taken into the computer and stored there

→↑scanner scan sth into sth

▪ You scan the text into the computer, then edit it.

5.) ¦(POETRY)¦

[i]technical poetry that scans has a correct regular pattern of beats

scan ²

scan² n

1.)

a medical test in which a special machine produces a picture of something inside your body

▪ The scan showed that she was expecting twins.

▪ a brain scan

2.) [singular]

when you read something quickly

scan of

▪ a quick scan of the newspapers