probe
Americanverb (used with object)
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to search into or examine thoroughly; question closely.
to probe one's conscience.
- Synonyms:
- scrutinize, investigate
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to examine or explore with or as if with an instrument.
The dentist probed the offending tooth.
She keeps probing her ear with a cotton swab.
verb (used without object)
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to examine or explore a matter thoroughly (sometimes followed byinto ).
The checklist consists of a series of questions carefully designed to probe into all aspects of your business.
The cross-examiner probed a little more before dismissing the witness.
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to explore or search with or as if with an instrument.
You may have to probe with the rod until you find the mouth of the pipe.
noun
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an act or instance of probing.
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an investigation, especially by a legislative committee, of suspected illegal activity.
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a tool or instrument designed for examining something, especially a slender surgical instrument for exploring the depth or direction of a wound, sinus, or the like.
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Aerospace. space probe.
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a projecting, pipelike device on a receiving aircraft used to make connection with and receive fuel from a tanker aircraft during refueling in flight.
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a device, attached by cord to an oven, that can be inserted into roasts or other food so that the oven shuts off when the desired internal temperature of the food is reached.
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Biology. any identifiable substance that is used to detect, isolate, or identify another substance, as a labeled strand of DNA that hybridizes with its complementary RNA or a monoclonal antibody that combines with a specific protein.
verb
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(tr) to search into or question closely
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to examine (something) with or as if with a probe
noun
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something that probes, examines, or tests
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surgery a slender and usually flexible instrument for exploring a wound, sinus, etc
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a thorough inquiry, such as one by a newspaper into corrupt practices
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electronics a lead connecting to or containing a measuring or monitoring circuit used for testing
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electronics a conductor inserted into a waveguide or cavity resonator to provide coupling to an external circuit
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any of various devices that provide a coupling link, esp a flexible tube extended from an aircraft to link it with another so that it can refuel
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See space probe
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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probesimple
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probessimple
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have probedperfect
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has probedperfect
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am probingprogressive
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are probingprogressive
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is probingprogressive
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have been probingperfect progressive
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has been probingperfect progressive
Past
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probedsimple
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had probedperfect
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was probingprogressive
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were probingprogressive
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had been probingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of probe
First recorded in 1555–65; (noun) from Medieval Latin proba “examination,” Late Latin: “test,” derivative of probāre “to try, test, prove” ( see proof ( def. ), prove ( def. )); (verb) partly derivative of the noun, partly from Latin probāre
Explanation
If you probe something, you investigate it thoroughly. If you go into business with someone, you might probe her finances to make sure that she has a good track record. Although it is usually used as a verb — "the police probed the man’s disappearance" — it can also be used as a noun to describe an information-gathering device. In 1979 the United States launched the world's first space probe into outer space. It was a spacecraft rigged with cameras, which were used to photograph Jupiter and Saturn.
Vocabulary lists containing probe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The federal probe into Walter’s financial empire was sparked by an internal whistleblower complaint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
“We want to depose their experts and probe and test their experts’ opinions,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
The wide, elevated rift flanks predicted by the new simulations also appear in images captured by the Magellan probe during its 1990's mission.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
For Stephan Rapp, a former US ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, the process may have been imperfect but the probe was thorough.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Having stripped off my sock, my mother’s fingers probe the bones in my left heel and I wince.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Washington is separately investigating 16 economies over excess industrial capacity, in probes that could lead to additional duties.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
The abrasive texture of shark skin repels barnacles and has inspired antimicrobial surface coatings for hospitals; the seeds of a flowering plant offer clues to the designers of probes destined for other worlds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
They added that there were "profound and stark" concerns as to airworthiness, but that no investigation had ever considered the issue despite several probes into the crash.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
SEC probes alleged insider trades that cost Susquehanna millions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
In other words, alpha particles produced naturally by radium and polonium had exhausted their usefulness as probes of the nucleus.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
KoBold probed deeper underground than others had looked and discovered a vast deposit of high-grade copper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026
At least 27 cases were being probed as of Thursday, with 15 confirmed.
From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026
As they probed the earth, they smelt the dirt, looking for the distinctive odour of human remains.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
Beethoven’s music improves Goethe, extracting its humanity and frailty, and Dudamel’s performance probed its profound inevitability of good triumphing over evil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
“What got you started — a book? A movie?” he probed.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
An adviser’s recommendations may not always be pleasing to hear, but they flow from a more complete understanding of a client’s situation based on detailed fact-finding, probing and insight into the client’s needs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Meanwhile, U.S. regulators began probing short sellers’ trading tactics, culminating in a securities-fraud conviction for Left last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
UK accident investigators were on Saturday probing the cause of a train collision north of London which killed a driver and injured scores of passengers, nine critically.
From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026
O’Herlihy was intellectually hungry — always probing new territory, questioning why things had to be a certain way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
His eyes were still probing the air all about her, and he was moving gradually closer, with an air of hardly noticing what he was doing.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
