Grammar fix
investigate
investigate formally
To examine a problem or situation carefully to discover the facts.
How oftenCommon
LevelB2
Used inSpeech & writing
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
The police are investigating the cause of the fire.
Someone's bike was stolen from our building last year, and the police did investigate, but they never found it.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: The police are investigating about the robbery.
Say: The police are investigating the robbery.
'Investigate' takes the matter directly, without 'about'.
Don't confuse it
Other ways to say it
Find out what really happened
How formalConversationalFormal
dig intoInformally investigating a matter in some depth.look intoExamining a complaint, problem, or situation to learn more.
investigateYou're here · Examining a matter systematically, sometimes through an official inquiry.