probe

CEFRB2

/pɹəʊb/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A careful investigation or a tool used to examine something.

  2. 02

    verb

    To examine or question something carefully to discover information.

Examples

  • Investigators are running a probe into what caused the crash.

  • Probe into the cause of the accident.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • /pɹoʊb/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Something which penetrates something else, as though to explore; something which obtains information.

  2. Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc.

  3. An anal probe, a fictional instrument commonly used by aliens on abducted humans.

More examples

In context

  • A police probe into the financial affairs of the company

  • If you probe further, you may discover different reasons.

  • Insert the probe into the soil and read the temperature.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The doctor used a thin instrument to blank the wound and check for damage.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

For verb: borrowed from Latin probare (“to test, examine, prove”), from probus (“good”). Doublet of prove. For noun: borrowed from Late Latin proba (“a proof”), from probare (“to test, examine, prove”); Doublet of proof. Compare Spanish tienta (“a surgeon's probe”), from tentar (“try, test”); see tempt.