probate

American  

[proh-beyt] / ˈproʊ beɪt /

noun

1. Law. the official proving of a will as authentic or valid in a probate court.

2. an officially certified copy of a will so proved.

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adjective

1. of or relating to probate or a probate court.

verb (used with object)

probated, probating

1. to establish the authenticity or validity of (a will).

2. Law. to put (an offender) on probation.

probate British  

/ -beɪt, ˈprəʊbɪt /

noun

1. the act or process of officially proving the authenticity and validity of a will

2. 1. the official certificate stating a will to be genuine and conferring on the executors power to administer the estate

   2. the probate copy of a will

3. (in the US) all matters within the jurisdiction of a probate court

4. (modifier) of, relating to, or concerned with probate

   probate value

   a probate court

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verb

1. (tr) to establish officially the authenticity and validity of (a will)

Other Word Forms

• unprobated adjective

Etymology

Origin of probate

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English probat, from Latin probātum “a thing approved,” noun use of neuter past participle of probāre “to examine, test”; prove

Explanation

Probate is the act of proving the legal validity of a will. A will may require probate because the person that signed it isn’t around to verify his or her signature. As Ambrose Bierce wrote, “Death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate.” So comes the need for the probate. Though probate, from the Latin probare, “to test or prove,” is usually used for wills, it can also be applied to other legal documents, as in the proving of the validity of a document, or an official certification proving the document is real. Probate is also a verb meaning “to place a convicted person on probation.”

Example Sentences

The "Una and the Lion" five-pound coin was part of a private collection found during a probate valuation at a house near Bangor, Gwynedd.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

“That way, those accounts will not be subject to the probate process.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

If the new house is titled jointly with right of survivorship, it would likely pass directly to you, the surviving spouse, and avoid probate.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Most of my friends have never had to write an obituary, or file a life insurance claim, or deal with probate court.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

And as I dug deeper into the Osage murder cases—into the murk of autopsies and witness testimony and probate records—I began to see certain holes in the bureau’s investigation.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann