Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

scan

 - definition
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb British English pronunciation: scan /skæn/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theyscan
he/she/itscans
present participlescanning
past tensescanned
past participlescanned
Other entries for this word
  1. 1
    [transitive] to look at something very carefully, because you hope or expect to see a particular person or thing

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

    scan something for someone/something:

    Ella scanned the crowd for any sign of Geoff.

    anxiously/eagerly scan something:

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

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scan
    1. a.

      scan

       or

      scan through

       [intransitive/transitive] to read something very quickly, in order to get a general idea of its meaning or to find particular information

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

      Tony scanned through the television programmes in the local newspaper.

      scan something for something:

      She scanned the paper for any news of them.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scan
    2. b.
      [intransitive/transitive] if a machine or computer program scans something, it examines it in order to look for a particular thing

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

      Every fifty metres there was a camera scanning the road.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scan
    3. c.
      [transitive] to examine an area using sonar or radar equipment in order to find objects in it

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

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scan
  2. 2
    [intransitive/transitive] to use a piece of equipment to read and store information in digital form

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

    His job was to scan barcodes in the store.

    scan in something (=scan something and store it in your computer):

    You can scan in a photograph of your home.

    scan something into something:

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

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scan
    1. a.
      if a piece of equipment scans a document, photograph etc, it changes it into a form that can be stored in a computer

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

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scan
  4. 4
    [intransitive] literature if poetry scans, it has a regular rhythm (=pattern of beats)

    These are poems that neither rhyme nor scan.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of scan

This is the British English definition of scan. View American English definition of scan.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

proton

the part of the nucleus of an atom that has a positive electrical charge

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog