diagnose
gb/dˌaɪəɡnˈoʊz/ us/dˌaɪəɡnˈoʊz/
B2
English
~ 3800
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B2
action
1
Identify cause of illness/problem
To find out what is wrong, especially with someone's health, by looking at signs and asking questions.
Usage pattern:
to diagnose [someone/something] with/as [condition/problem]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'diagnose' with 'treat'. 'Diagnose' means to find out what the problem is, while 'treat' means to try to fix it.
Synonyms
identify (More general; not limited to medical or technical contexts.)
|
detect (Focuses on discovering the presence of something, not necessarily its cause.)
Antonyms
misdiagnose (To identify a condition or problem incorrectly.)
Collocations
diagnose a disease
|diagnose a patient
|diagnose a problem
|diagnose an issue
|diagnose correctly
Themes
health
|science
|technology
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The doctor diagnosed her with pneumonia after reviewing the test results.
- A mechanic diagnosed the strange noise as a loose belt.
- It took weeks to diagnose the computer's software issue.
- She was diagnosed as having anxiety disorder.
- The vet diagnosed the dog with a minor infection.
Learner examples
- The doctor diagnosed me with flu.
- He diagnosed the car problem quickly.
- The vet diagnosed my cat's illness.
- They diagnosed her with cancer.
- The engineer diagnosed the machine's fault.
Grammar
Dictionary form
diagnose
IPA
GB/dˌaɪəɡnˈoʊz/
US/dˌaɪəɡnˈoʊz/
Syllables & stress
dia - gnose (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (gnose)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: diagnose
- 3rd Person Singular: diagnoses
- Present Participle: diagnosing
- Past: diagnosed
Word family
Forms
diagnoses
verb
diagnosing
verb
diagnosed
verb
Core family
diagnosis
noun B1
diagnostic
adjective B2
Negative and opposite forms
misdiagnose
verb
misdiagnosis
noun
undiagnosed
adjective
Advanced or less common
diagnostician
noun
Expressions
diagnose as
1/dˌaɪəɡnˈoʊz ˈæz/
fixed phrase
Identify as particular condition/type
To say what kind of illness or problem something or someone has after looking carefully.
Examples
- The child was diagnosed as autistic when he was three.
- The fault was diagnosed as a wiring issue.
diagnose with
1/dˌaɪəɡnˈoʊz wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
Identify someone as having condition
To say that someone has a particular illness or problem after tests or examination.
Examples
- She was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 12.
- He was diagnosed with depression last year.