the process of translating photographs into a digital form that can be recognized by a computer
"The technician spent the afternoon scanning old family photographs to preserve them in a secure digital archive."
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
"The technician adjusted the microscope settings before beginning the scanning process to create a high-resolution digital map of the sample."
The act of something being scanned.
"The security guard watched the scanner as it began scanning every passenger's passport before they could enter the terminal."
In plain English: Scanning is when you quickly look over something to get the main ideas without reading every detail carefully.
"The security guard finished scanning all our boarding passes before letting us through."
present participle of scan
"The doctor used an ultrasound scanner to perform a quick scanning of her abdomen."
In plain English: Scanning means looking quickly over something to find specific information without reading every detail carefully.
"She was scanning the list to find her name."