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SKAN/skæn/

To scan is to look through something quickly for key facts, or to examine it with a machine. A scan is also a noun (a CT scan). Read is slower and fuller; skim is a close exam twin. Papers: scan the source for the command word first.

Meaning

To look through something quickly for key facts, or to examine it with a machine.

Examples

• “Scan the source for the command word before you write.”
• “The CT scan is this afternoon; a GP letter is not a same-day slot.”

Good to know

scan a text / a barcode. Noun: a scan. Exam twin: skim. NHS: a CT / MRI scan. Exams / clinics. Not “scam” (a fraud).

Near in meaning

skim

Topics

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