probing
Americanadjective
noun
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the act or practice of examining, investigating, or exploring something in a deep or searching way.
Constant probing of the night sky by scientists reveals an abundance of activity within our solar system.
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the act of examining or exploring something by means of a probe or any of various instruments, devices, etc..
Probing of the blocked duct was done under anesthesia.
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Computers. the process of scanning a network, database, webpage, web app, etc., in order to obtain information about its structure and any security weaknesses that could be used to launch an attack: undertaken either maliciously by hostile parties, or diagnostically and preventively by those wishing to improve security.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of probing
First recorded in 1660–70; 2000–05 gauging for def. 3; probe ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective sense; probe ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses
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.
Shareholders appeared more serious, too, probing Abel’s plans for how he would continue Buffett’s legacy and oversee Berkshire’s mammoth stock portfolio, and whether he had settled on his own successor yet.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
"When you're probing something new, you don't have a lot of data to train AI," Nemenman explains.
From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026
Yet it’s pretty good as the centerpiece of an overnight road trip probing small towns and back roads of the western San Joaquin Valley and eastern San Luis Obispo County.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
Prosecutors are reportedly probing whether beneficiaries of agriculture subsidies had made false claims.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
He dug around it, probing, probing busily until the soft half-formed sandstone gave beneath the blade.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
