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”; see 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

A will applies only to so-called probate assets—those owned by a person at the time of death that don’t automatically transfer to another person.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Certain assets may still exist, and Medicaid estate recovery typically occurs through the probate process after death, and not before.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026

Trusts are designed to manage assets, distribute income, prevent beneficiaries from getting too much money at one time, avoid probate and plan for any incapacity of the beneficiary.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

This planning includes the money you’re leaving to your cherished charitable causes: The more assets you can leave to beneficiaries as transfer-on-death or payable-on-death, the more of your estate will bypass probate.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

At a probate hearing after the death of George Bigheart, an attorney expressed bafflement at why loans ostensibly from Burt’s bank to the Osage were issued from Burt’s personal checkbook.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann