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/ɪkˈsplɔː/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo seek for something or after someone.
verbTo examine or investigate something systematically.
Sentence Examples
We want to explore an underwater oil field.
We will explore every planet that goes around the sun.
As soon as we arrived on the island we were eager to explore.
CEFR Practice Quiz
We plan to ____ the ancient ruins hidden deep within the jungle.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I always love to ____ new cities and discover hidden gems like small cafes and local shops.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs Proto-Italic *eks Latin ex Latin ex- Latin plōrō Latin explōrōder. Middle French explorerder. English explore From Middle French explorer, from Latin explōrāre (“to investigate, search out”), itself said to be originally a hunters' term meaning "to set up a loud cry", from ex- (“out”) + plōrāre (“to cry”), but the second element is also explained as "to make to flow" (from pluere (“to flow”)).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents."
— 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193:
"They stayed together during three dances, went out on to the terrace, explored wherever they were permitted to explore, paid two visits to the buffet, and enjoyed themselves much in the same way as if they had been school-children surreptitiously breaking loose from an assembly of grown-ups."
— 1909 September 9, Archibald Marshall [pseudonym; Arthur Hammond Marshall], “A Court Ball”, in The Squire’s Daughter, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC, page 9:
"Daylight was fading quickly, but I was still keen to have a little explore of the town and beach."
— 2008, John Watters, Bonza Voyage:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
We plan to ____ the ancient ruins hidden deep within the jungle.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I always love to ____ new cities and discover hidden gems like small cafes and local shops.