1. (

• scanning

) the process of translating photographs into a digital form that can be recognized by a computer ;

2. (

• scanning

) the act of systematically moving a finely focused beam of light or electrons over a surface in order to produce an image of it for analysis or transmission ;

1. (

• scan ,

) examine minutely or intensely; "the surgeon scanned the X-ray" ;

2. (

• scan ,
• skim ,
• rake ,
• glance_over ,
• run_down

) examine hastily; "She scanned the newspaper headlines while waiting for the taxi" ;

3. (

• scan

) make a wide, sweeping search of; "The beams scanned the night sky" ;

4. (

• scan

) conform to a metrical pattern ;

5. (

• scan

) move a light beam over; in electronics, to reproduce an image ;

6. (

• scan

) read metrically; "scan verses" ;

7. (

• read ,
• scan

) obtain data from magnetic tapes or other digital sources; "This dictionary can be read by the computer" ;