ausculter

To listen to a patient's chest, heart, or lungs with a stethoscope — the standard medical verb. Figuratively, it also means to closely examine or scrutinize (ausculter l'opinion publique, ausculter un marché).

• Le médecin l'a ausculté avant de poser son diagnostic. — The doctor examined him with a stethoscope before making a diagnosis.
• Elle ausculte les poumons du patient. — She's listening to the patient's lungs.
• Les sondeurs auscultent l'opinion publique avant l'élection. — Pollsters closely examine public opinion before the election.

Outside medicine, ausculter is used figuratively to mean 'scrutinize closely' (a market, public opinion) — learners who only know the literal stethoscope sense may not recognize this common journalistic usage.