noun

probe

/prəʊb/ · say it: PROHB

an official investigation

In From the Front Page

In more detail

1. (noun) a long, thin instrument used to examine or explore something

2. (noun) an unmanned spacecraft sent to explore space and gather information

3. (verb) to search or examine something carefully and deeply

4. (verb) to ask questions in order to get more information

Examples

1. The doctor used a probe to examine the patient's ear.
2. The space agency sent a probe to Mars to look for signs of life.
3. Investigators probed into the company's financial records.

How to use probe

Probe as a verb means to investigate or examine something thoroughly, often with persistence or intent to uncover hidden truths. It carries a slightly more intense or skeptical tone than examine alone and commonly appears in investigative, medical, or journalistic contexts. As a noun, it refers either to a physical instrument for exploration or an unmanned space mission.

Common phrases

probe into
probe the depths
space probe
probe further
probe someone's mind

Synonyms

investigate · examine · explore · interrogate · scrutinize

Word family

probing (adjective/noun) · prober (noun)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use probe as a transitive verb without the preposition 'into' (e.g., 'probe the matter' instead of 'probe into the matter'), though probe + object is grammatically acceptable but less common than probe + into.

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