probe

noun \ ˈprōb \

Updated on: 28 Nov 2017

Definition of probe

1 : a slender medical instrument used especially for exploration (as of a wound or body cavity)

2 a : any of various testing devices or substances: such as

(1) : a pointed metal tip for making electrical contact with a circuit element being checked

(2) : a usually small object that is inserted into something so as to test conditions at a given point

(3) : a device used to penetrate or send back information especially from outer space or a celestial body

(4) : a device (such as an ultrasound generator) or a substance (such as radioactively labeled DNA) used to obtain specific information for diagnostic or experimental purposes

b : a pipe on the receiving airplane thrust into the drogue of the delivering airplane in air refueling

3 a : the action of probing

b : a penetrating or critical investigation

c : a tentative exploratory advance or survey

See probe defined for English-language learners

See probe defined for kids

Examples of probe in a Sentence

The FBI probe did not produce any new evidence.
a congressional probe into the accusations

Recent Examples of probe from the Web

The meeting would come as special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia has heated up.

— david nakamura, Washington Post, "Arriving in Japan, Trump projects confidence, says he’ll probably meet Putin during Asia trip," 5 Nov. 2017
Researchers won’t get more detailed data until 2029, when the ESA’s Juice probe arrives at the planet to investigate its atmosphere and magnetosphere.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Jupiter’s Auroras Are Surprisingly Out of Sync," 3 Nov. 2017
Because only a tiny fraction of the star's light probes the atmosphere, the spectral signal is minuscule, and hard to distinguish from irregularities in the starlight itself and from absorption by Earth's own atmosphere.

— daniel clery, Science | AAAS, "Earth-sized alien worlds are out there. Now, astronomers are figuring out how to detect life on them," 1 Nov. 2017
Just in time for Halloween, NASA has compiled samplings of otherworldly sounds captured by space probes traversing the solar system.

— matt campbell, kansascity, "A Halloween treat from NASA: eerie sounds from outer space," 31 Oct. 2017
Johnson, who chairs the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said Mueller's probe is impeding House and Senate investigations into Russian influence in the 2016 election.

— usa today and milwaukee journal sentinel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "First charges approved in Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in 2016 election," 28 Oct. 2017
The Warren Commission in 1964 concluded that Oswald had been the lone gunman, and another congressional probe in 1979 found no evidence to support the theory that the CIA had been involved.

— calvin woodward and deb riechmann, The Christian Science Monitor, "JFK documents revealed, full story still remains hidden," 28 Oct. 2017
The election will be the first one since the sprawling graft probe known as Operation Car Wash nabbed the top echelon of Brazilian politics.

— jeffrey t. lewis, WSJ, "Brazil’s Lifeline to President Michel Temer Calms Markets," 26 Oct. 2017
Mueller was appointed in May to investigate potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign, and potential crimes arising from that probe.

— eric tucker, The Seattle Times, "Mueller investigators seek documents from the White House," 21 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'probe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of probe

Medieval Latin proba examination, from Latin probare

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1580

See Words from the same year

probe Synonyms

Synonyms

delving, disquisition, examen, examination, exploration, inquest, inquisition, investigation, probation, inquiry, probing, research, study

Other Aeronautics/Aerospace Terms

airway, apron, corridor, dirigible, fishtail, flat-hat, vector

probe

verb

Definition of probe

probed; probing

transitive verb

1 : to search into and explore very thoroughly : subject to a penetrating investigation

2 : to examine with a probe

unmanned vehicles probed space

intransitive verb

: to make a searching exploratory investigation

—

prober

noun

See probe defined for English-language learners

Examples of probe in a Sentence

His questions made it clear he was probing for information.
He didn't like the police probing into his past.
He didn't like the police probing him about his past.
The doctor probed the wound with his finger.
Searchers probed the mud with long poles.
She probed the files for evidence that would help the investigation.

Recent Examples of probe from the Web

Scotland Yard is also probing several cases in London, The Guardian reported.

— erik larson, Bloomberg.com, "Weinstein Co. Probed by New York Over Sex Harassment Claims," 24 Oct. 2017
At long last, the Senate Judiciary Committee is probing this.

— deroy murdock, National Review, "Did Atomic Graft Help the Kremlin Capture 20 Percent of U.S. Uranium?," 20 Oct. 2017
The Equifax attack, which the Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing, has raised questions about whether the company took sufficient measures to protect customers’ sensitive personal information.

— joann s. lublin, WSJ, "Equifax Faces Shareholder Call for Governance, Pay Changes," 18 Oct. 2017
Bharara also probed but did not charge the third man in the room, Governor Andrew Cuomo, over the suspicious disbanding of the anti-graft Moreland Commission.

— andrew rice, Daily Intelligencer, "Preet Bharara Is Now in the Trump-Opposition Business," 3 Oct. 2017
Using brain-imaging and other tools of neuroscience, the new field of neuroaesthetics is probing the relationship between art and the brain.

— sarah l. kaufman, charlotteobserver, "What actually happens to our brains as we watch art happen? This, say scientists ...," 27 Sep. 2017
There was a moment of mournful sisterhood as Abedin learned that the FBI was probing her husband Anthony Weiner’s computer, ensuring that the final week of the election was going to be about Clinton’s email server.

— david weigel, The Seattle Times, "Book review: Clinton’s account of how she was ‘shivved’ in the 2016 presidential election," 12 Sep. 2017
Others warn that this whole enterprise is a dangerous foray into psychology and that judges must not probe the recesses of the presidential mind.

— dahlia lithwick, Slate Magazine, "With Every Tweet, Trump Turns His DOJ Into More of a Mockery," 5 June 2017
Lawson stopped by Extra, where she was quizzed by host Mario Lopez, who was probing for details about her famous daughter's unborn twins.

— kayleigh roberts, Harper's BAZAAR, "Even Tina Lawson Doesn't Know the Sex of Beyoncé's Twins," 29 Apr. 2017

First Known Use of probe

circa 1543

probe Synonyms

Synonyms

delve (into), dig (into), examine, inquire (into), investigate, look (into), explore, research

Related Words

inspect, sift, study, view; browse, cruise, peruse, scan, skim (through), surf, thumb (through); coinvestigate, reinvestigate

Synonym Discussion of probe

enter, penetrate, pierce, probe mean to make way into something. enter is the most general of these and may imply either going in or forcing a way in.

- entered the city in triumph

penetrate carries a strong implication of an impelling force or compelling power that achieves entrance.

- the enemy penetrated the fortress

pierce means an entering or cutting through with a sharp pointed instrument.

- pierced the boil with a lancet

probe implies penetration to investigate or explore something hidden from sight or knowledge.

- probed the depths of the sea

PROBE Defined for English Language Learners

probe

noun

Definition of probe for English Language Learners

: a careful examination or investigation of something
: a thin, long instrument that is used especially for examining parts of the body

probe

verb

Definition of probe for English Language Learners

: to ask a lot of questions in order to find secret or hidden information about someone or something
: to touch or reach into (something) by using your finger, a long tool, etc., in order to see or find something
: to look into or examine (something) carefully

PROBE Defined for Kids

probe

noun \ ˈprōb \

Definition of probe for Students

1 : a slender instrument for examining a cavity (as a deep wound)

2 : a careful investigation

probe

verb

Definition of probe for Students

probed; probing

1 : to examine with or as if with an instrument

2 : to investigate thoroughly

Medical Dictionary

probe

noun \ ˈprōb \

medical Definition of probe

1 : a surgical instrument that consists typically of a light slender fairly flexible pointed metal instrument like a small rod that is used typically for locating a foreign body (as a bullet embedded in a part of the body), for exploring a wound or suppurative tract by prodding or piercing, or for penetrating and exploring bodily passages and cavities

2 : a device (as an ultrasound generator) or a substance (as radioactively labeled DNA) used to obtain specific information (as detection of a virus or location of specific segments of a nucleic acid) for diagnostic or experimental purposes