probe

American  

[prohb] / proʊb /

verb (used with object)

• probes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• probed,
  past participle,  past
• probing
  present participle

1. to search into or examine thoroughly; question closely.

   to probe one's conscience.

   Synonyms:

   scrutinize, investigate

2. to examine or explore with or as if with an instrument.

   The dentist probed the offending tooth.

   She keeps probing her ear with a cotton swab.

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verb (used without object)

• probes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• probed,
  past participle,  past
• probing
  present participle

1. to examine or explore a matter thoroughly (sometimes followed byinto ).

   The checklist consists of a series of questions carefully designed to probe into all aspects of your business.

   The cross-examiner probed a little more before dismissing the witness.

2. to explore or search with or as if with an instrument.

   You may have to probe with the rod until you find the mouth of the pipe.

noun

• probes
  plural

1. an act or instance of probing.

2. an investigation, especially by a legislative committee, of suspected illegal activity.

3. a tool or instrument designed for examining something, especially a slender surgical instrument for exploring the depth or direction of a wound, sinus, or the like.

4. Aerospace. space probe.

5. a projecting, pipelike device on a receiving aircraft used to make connection with and receive fuel from a tanker aircraft during refueling in flight.

6. a device, attached by cord to an oven, that can be inserted into roasts or other food so that the oven shuts off when the desired internal temperature of the food is reached.

7. Biology. any identifiable substance that is used to detect, isolate, or identify another substance, as a labeled strand of DNA that hybridizes with its complementary RNA or a monoclonal antibody that combines with a specific protein.

probe British  

/ prəʊb /

verb

1. (tr) to search into or question closely

2. to examine (something) with or as if with a probe

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noun

1. something that probes, examines, or tests

2. surgery a slender and usually flexible instrument for exploring a wound, sinus, etc

3. a thorough inquiry, such as one by a newspaper into corrupt practices

4. electronics a lead connecting to or containing a measuring or monitoring circuit used for testing

5. electronics a conductor inserted into a waveguide or cavity resonator to provide coupling to an external circuit

6. any of various devices that provide a coupling link, esp a flexible tube extended from an aircraft to link it with another so that it can refuel

7. See space probe

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prober
  noun
• reprobe
  verb
• probeable
  adjective
• unprobed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• probes
  plural

Participles

• probing
  present
• probed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• probe
  simple
• probes
  simple
• have probed
  perfect
• has probed
  perfect
• am probing
  progressive
• are probing
  progressive
• is probing
  progressive
• have been probing
  perfect progressive
• has been probing
  perfect progressive

Past

• probed
  simple
• had probed
  perfect
• was probing
  progressive
• were probing
  progressive
• had been probing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will probe
  simple
• will have probed
  perfect
• will be probing
  progressive
• will have been probing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of probe

First recorded in 1555–65; (noun) from Medieval Latin proba “examination,” Late Latin: “test,” derivative of probāre “to try, test, prove” ( see proof ( def. ), prove ( def. )); (verb) partly derivative of the noun, partly from Latin probāre

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Explanation

If you probe something, you investigate it thoroughly. If you go into business with someone, you might probe her finances to make sure that she has a good track record. Although it is usually used as a verb — "the police probed the man’s disappearance" — it can also be used as a noun to describe an information-gathering device. In 1979 the United States launched the world's first space probe into outer space. It was a spacecraft rigged with cameras, which were used to photograph Jupiter and Saturn.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

probe probes probed probing

It says he had two "freebie dinners" with City and that a Sun probe has found "deleted records".

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

The Justice Department ultimately dropped its probe into Paxton.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

To probe this further, we’ll be going back to Kariba in search of more fossils.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

He announced other measures including the appointment of a dedicated staff member to support individuals reporting sexual misconduct, and inviting specialized New York State Police detectives to probe future sexual assault allegations.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Even by day, he had to probe his way around.

From "Abel's Island" by William Steig

Having been subjected to multiple FCC probes of ABC’s programming, the corporation has pushed back in court against Carr, in what has already amounted to a drawn-out and expensive legal tussle.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

These tiny probes can detect activity from many nerve cells simultaneously, providing a detailed picture of how groups of neurons respond to information.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

The probes went to two other U.S. attorneys before Quiñones raised his hand to oversee it, people familiar with the assignment said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Fortune's death left the local community on edge and lawmakers demanding federal probes.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

But when the wires were fastened to her own neural connectors, and the probes reached into her heartbeat and instinct, that's when she opened her mouth.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

OpenAI has come under scrutiny for a spate of security incidents in which its AI agents escaped containment and in some cases hacked other companies or aggressively probed third-party websites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Phillips was additionally probed by the House Ethics Committee for allegedly hiring a girlfriend to intern in Collins’ office.

From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026

"This was the first time that shock-compressed diamond was probed with X-ray diffraction all the way up to melting," said Millot.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026

After pinning Azan Awais with his first ball, the seamer probed Masood's outside edge from round the wicket before switching the angle of his attack in his third over.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

She used it to tap the ground like the blind lady in town, the way Caesar had probed the black water during their flight.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Most obviously, Carrick, having deflected questions about the defender's outburst in the immediate aftermath of the game, will face more probing on the matter when he speaks to the media before Sunday's trip to Leeds.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

“NAZA” eschews probing for guilty feelings, though, because the point is to unearth a process of obliteration: how it works and what it looks like as implemented by the willing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

OpenAI has recently faced a series of security incidents in which its artificial-intelligence agents escaped containment, hacking some company websites and aggressively probing a range of websites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

ICE and Homeland Security Investigations are probing the case.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

My colleagues at the hospital would stand in my doorway and casually drop the question, probing for some bit of early news.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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Related Words

• check out
• delve into
• dig
• examine
• inquire
• interrogate
• penetrate
• poke
• scrutinize
• sift
• verify

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