scan meaning and definition

SCAN noun

Definition of scan (noun)

1. the act of scanning; systematic examination of a prescribed region
   • "he made a thorough scan of the beach with his binoculars"
2. an image produced by scanning
   • "he analyzed the brain scan"; "you could see the tumor in the CAT scan"
   • synonyms: CAT scan

SCAN verb

Definition of scan (verb)

1. examine minutely or intensely
   • "the surgeon scanned the X-ray"
2. examine hastily
   • "She scanned the newspaper headlines while waiting for the taxi"
   • synonyms: glance over, rake, run down, skim
3. make a wide, sweeping search of
   • "The beams scanned the night sky"
4. conform to a metrical pattern
5. move a light beam over; in electronics, to reproduce an image
6. read metrically
   • "scan verses"
7. obtain data from magnetic tapes
   • "This dictionary can be read by the computer"
   • synonyms: read