probation officer

American  

noun

• probation officers
  plural

1. an officer who investigates and reports on the conduct of offenders who are free on probation.

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probation officer British  

noun

1. an officer of a court who supervises offenders placed on probation and assists and befriends them

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• probation officers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of probation officer

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

probation officer

The family’s claim alleges the clinician’s conduct “went overlooked and unreported for months” and that the teenager’s probation officer has changed at least four times since his release.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Ballout was released and placed under the supervision of a probation officer.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

He had not declared his relationship with Kelly to his probation officer as was required.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

One probation officer told BBC News: "We can't cope now, God knows how we'll cope if these recommendations are accepted. I'm already looking for another job. It's just not possible to do all this work."

From BBC ● May 22, 2025

The only person who insisted on visiting regularly was Garvey, the stocky youth probation officer, who stopped by the detention center almost daily.

From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen