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

It takes more than a year to train a probation officer.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

One probation officer described the workload as "non-stop", and increasing until "you simply can't cope", adding: "It's just overwhelming."

From BBC • Aug. 20, 2025

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

It wasn’t until last October that authorities arrested Austin, an Oregon probation officer.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 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