explore

[ ik-splawr, -splohr ]

/ ɪkˈsplɔr, -ˈsploʊr /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: explore / explored / explores / exploring on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), ex·plored, ex·plor·ing.

to traverse or range over (a region, area, etc.) for the purpose of discovery: to explore the island.

to look into closely; scrutinize; examine: Let us explore the possibilities for improvement.

Surgery. to investigate into, especially mechanically, as with a probe.

Obsolete. to search for; search out.

verb (used without object), ex·plored, ex·plor·ing.

to engage in exploration.

OTHER WORDS FOR explore

2 probe, study, research, investigate, survey.

See synonyms for explore on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of explore

1575–85; <Latin explōrāre to search out, examine, equivalent to ex-ex-¹ + plōrāre to cry out, probably originally with reference to hunting cries

OTHER WORDS FROM explore

ex·plor·a·ble, adjectiveex·plor·a·bil·i·ty, nounex·plor·ing·ly, adverbre·ex·plore, verb, re·ex·plored, re·ex·plor·ing.

un·ex·plor·a·ble, adjectiveun·ex·plored, adjective

Words nearby explore

exploitation film, exploitative, exploration, explorationist, exploratory, explore, explorer, explorer tent, explosible, explosimeter, explosion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use explore in a sentence

The course, designed in collaboration with the particular company and Forage, gives students a chance to “explore what a career would look like at their firm before the internship or entry-level application process opens,” Brunskill explains.
Forage, formerly InsideSherpa, raises $9.3 million Series A for virtual work experiences|Natasha Mascarenhas|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
The Talon is a great way to access the river or lake explore the land surrounding a body of water.
Three Family-Friendly Adventures to Try This Fall|Outside Editors|September 17, 2020|Outside Online
There will also be a desktop version of the service available with an even richer set of features for users and their doctors to explore.
What’s your biological age? A new app promises to reveal it—and help you slow the aging process|Jeremy Kahn|September 17, 2020|Fortune
The result is a new season of Wild Thing, a podcast that explores the strange and unusual things that capture our imaginations.
What We Really Know About Life in Outer Space|Outside Editors|September 17, 2020|Outside Online

It explored the bucket, and then leapt onto the rim, made several circuits, hopped down, and casually disappeared into the overgrown grass.
How to hunt for star-nosed moles (and their holes)|Kenneth Catania|September 15, 2020|Popular-Science
A 64-year-old animal trainer, he makes the six-hour round-trip every two weeks to submit to her and explore his sexuality.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau|Ian Frisch|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In October, news broke that Regal hired Morgan Stanley to explore a possible sale.
The Right-Wing Billionaire Who Bowed to North Korea over ‘The Interview’|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another side of Spider-Man that might be interesting to explore in a reboot is seeing him as an adult.
Exclusive: Sony Hack Reveals Studio's Detailed Plans For Another ‘Spider-Man’ Reboot|William Boot|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It has been incredible to explore so many artistic avenues when it comes to having a dialogue about a very serious disease.
Blogger Shares and Shames Cancer in ‘Lily’|Amy Grantham|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But what I want to explore next, there are a couple of New Zealand films I want to do.
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The world must certainly be round, he thought, and he was no longer satisfied to explore the waters near his own home.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
No sooner was the spectroscope invented than astronomers hastened by its aid to explore the chemical constitution of the sun.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
It made us feel that one ought to have two or three years to explore Britain instead of a single summer's vacation.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
After a short conference the officer in command decided to divide the party and explore both paths.
Hunted and Harried|R.M. Ballantyne
Having eaten all his small stomach would hold, Lovin Child wanted to get down and explore.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for explore

explore

/ (ɪkˈsplɔː) /

verb

(tr) to examine or investigate, esp systematically

to travel to or into (unfamiliar or unknown regions), esp for organized scientific purposes

(tr) med to examine (an organ or part) for diagnostic purposes

(tr) obsolete to search for or out

Derived forms of explore

explorer, noun

Word Origin for explore

C16: from Latin explōrāre, from ex- 1 + plōrāre to cry aloud; probably from the shouts of hunters sighting prey

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for explore

explore

[ ĭk-splôr′ ]

To examine for diagnostic purposes.

explore

OTHER WORDS FOR explore

Origin of explore

OTHER WORDS FROM explore

Words nearby explore

Words related to explore

How to use explore in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for explore

Derived forms of explore

Word Origin for explore

Medical definitions for explore