To scan something is to examine it or look at it. You’ll find this common word used at grocery stores, schools, libraries, airports, and areas where people are searching for something.
People scan headlines in newspapers when looking for something interesting to read.
Airports scan passengers to make sure they aren’t carrying explosive materials.
Patrol officers scan drivers on the highway to make sure they aren’t speeding.
Grocery store cashiers scan barcodes when customers go through the checkout line.
An MRI scans a person’s entire body to look for internal, physical problems.
Documents can be scanned and converted into a digital format for use on a computer.
Volunteers and police scan wide areas when looking for a missing person.
A business scans applicants when deciding on whom to interview.
The device that a person uses for scanning is called a scanner.
Scanners are used at a grocery store in order to keep inventory and checkout merchandise.
You have to walk through a scanner at government buildings and other public facilities.
A scanner can also be a person whose job it is to identify and sort out people.
Some scanners are held in the hand while other scanners are large machines.
