investigated about

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "investigated about" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct usage would be "investigated" without "about," as "investigate" already implies inquiry into a subject. Example: "The detective investigated the case thoroughly."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Not the employee who'd acted perfectly ordinary during those dramatic weeks, as Brooklyn tore itself apart looking for Mollie, and Ulises put up missing-person posters, and authorities investigated about 4,000 leads.

The Washington Post

Much is to be further investigated about this system.

Chaos, Solitons & Fractals

The divers say they have investigated about half the underground river system.

The New York Times - Science

Since 1995, the New York diocese has investigated about 40 cases a year.

The New York Times

MORGEN: I investigated about 800 cases, that is, about 800 documents, and one document would affect several cases.

Yale University

The photoelectrochemical property was investigated about electrons transfer efficiency between dye molecule and TiO2 particles.

Materials Research Bulletin

In 2005, the agency investigated about 124,000 2004-5 Priuses after some owners complained the gasoline engine would stall.

The New York Times

Gibson Guitar is being investigated about the legality of its imports of ebony, used for fingerboards, from India.

The New York Times

Only three years ago Botín and 11 relatives had been investigated about possible income and wealth tax evasion focusing on accounts the family held in Switzerland.

The Guardian - Business

"They don't like new ideas to get to Iran," said a researcher once investigated about his work, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

The New York Times

Since it opened last year, the Afghan Human Rights Commission has recorded 1,700 complaints of violations from around the country and has investigated about half of them.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "investigated" without "about" for grammatically correct and clear communication. For example, instead of "the police investigated about the crime", say "the police investigated the crime".

Common error

Don't use "about" after "investigated". The verb "investigate" inherently includes the concept of inquiry into a subject, making "about" unnecessary and grammatically incorrect.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "investigated about" is generally considered grammatically incorrect. The verb "investigate" inherently implies inquiry into a subject, making the addition of "about" redundant. As noted by Ludwig, it is best to simply use "investigated".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

36%

News & Media

32%

Encyclopedias

8%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "investigated about" is generally considered grammatically incorrect. As indicated by Ludwig, the verb "investigate" already includes the meaning of inquiring into something, making "about" redundant. While it appears in some sources, including news and scientific articles, it's best to use "investigated" followed directly by the subject of the inquiry. Alternatives such as "looked into" or "examined" can also be used depending on the context, but in most cases the single word "investigated" is preferable.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

investigated

Removes "about", as "investigated" already implies an inquiry into a subject.

looked into

Offers a more informal and general way to describe an investigation.

examined

Suggests a closer, more detailed inspection.

probed

Implies a deeper, more penetrating inquiry.

inquired into

Provides a more formal alternative to "looked into".

researched

Focuses on a systematic study or inquiry.

scrutinized

Emphasizes a very careful and critical examination.

studied

Implies a thorough and careful examination of a subject.

conducted an inquiry into

Presents a formal and structured investigation.

delved into

Suggests a thorough and in-depth exploration.

FAQs

How do I properly use "investigated" in a sentence?

The correct usage is to say "investigated something" without adding "about". For instance, use "The detective "investigated the case"" instead of "investigated about the case".

Is it grammatically correct to say "investigated about"?

No, it is not grammatically correct. The verb "investigate" already implies an inquiry into something, so adding "about" is redundant. Use "investigated" followed directly by the subject of the investigation.

What are some alternatives to "investigated about"?

Better alternatives include using simply "investigated", "looked into", or "examined". The best choice depends on the specific context.

What's the difference between "investigated" and "investigated about"?

"Investigated" is grammatically correct and means to conduct an inquiry. "Investigated about" is redundant and considered incorrect. Therefore, always use "investigated" followed by the object of the inquiry.