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probe

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verb

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as in to explore
to go into or range over for purposes of discovery probing the depths of the undersea trench

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb probe differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of probe are enter, penetrate, and pierce. While all these words mean "to make way into something," probe implies penetration to investigate or explore something hidden from sight or knowledge.

probed the depths of the sea

When is it sensible to use enter instead of probe?

In some situations, the words enter and probe are roughly equivalent. However, enter is the most general of these and may imply either going in or forcing a way in.

entered the city in triumph

When is penetrate a more appropriate choice than probe?

The meanings of penetrate and probe largely overlap; however, penetrate carries a strong implication of an impelling force or compelling power that achieves entrance.

the enemy penetrated the fortress

When might pierce be a better fit than probe?

While in some cases nearly identical to probe, pierce means an entering or cutting through with a sharp pointed instrument.

pierced the boil with a lancet

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of probe
Noun
The investigation found no wrongdoing, and Quinn’s comments to reporters Tuesday were her first since the probe concluded. Doug Feinberg, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025 Williams was running the SDNY U.S. Attorney’s office when the Combs probe began and indictments came down. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
At some point the investigation expanded beyond its initial line of inquiry into Teran’s downloads and began probing other questions and several other suspects, including a former Times reporter. Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025 Few Indian movies have so gently zeroed in on the way mental health conditions are used as a pretext to strip people of their humanity, even though the camera rarely probes Sundar enough to rebuild his personhood from the inside-out, or dramatize whatever haunts his waking moments. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for probe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for probe
Verb
  • Foul play is not suspected and the medical examiner is currently investigating the death, per police.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
  • No foul play was suspected and the New York Medical Examiner is investigating the cause of death, police said.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Both Culkin and Brody are being recognized for their work in films that explore the Holocaust and themes of Jewish exile.
    Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025
  • As Nestor blurs the line between fact and entertainment, the film explores the ethics of the true crime genre and the consequences of amateur investigations.
    Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Despite public pressure, including from the families of the roughly 1,200 people killed in the Oct. 7 attack and the 251 taken as hostages into Gaza, Netanyahu has resisted calls for a commission of inquiry.
    MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH, WAFAA SHURAFA, NATALIE MELZER AND TIA GOLDENBERG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, arkansasonline.com, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Netanyahu has resisted forming a commission of inquiry.
    Kat Lonsdorf, NPR, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Breast biopsy: Your provider may take a tissue sample to examine the cells under a microscope.
    Carrie Madormo, RN, Health, 27 Feb. 2025
  • According to a probable-cause affidavit obtained by NJ.com, troopers performing a load securement check asked to examine how the tractor-trailer’s doors were sealed.
    Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 27 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • In the decades since, a few teams of scientists have searched at even higher altitudes.
    Carl Zimmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Feb. 2025
  • The Ducks are demanding more attention to detail from the offensive specialist, and getting it, but Zegras is still searching for a way to hang on to the parts of his game that once separated him.
    Chris Johnston, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The study, published in the journal BDJ Open, helped test CT as a method for future examinations, Betilsson explained.
    Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Though Hamas had long claimed that Shiri and the children died in an Israeli air strike, an Israeli forensic examination showed that the children were murdered with the bare hands of their captors and then mutilated in an attempt to blame Israelis for their deaths.
    The Editors, National Review, 24 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • He’s backed by men in black in an exploration of desire and its absence.
    The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Ultimately, Il Giardino, like Radici, takes on the form of an inner narrative, an analysis, and a catharsis—an ongoing exploration of the self, without a definitive solution.
    PhotoVogue, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The neighbors — a group of computer savants and vegan activists committed to the study of human cognition, most of them trans women — moved box trucks on his land.
    Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2025
  • Adults who are highly playful are also more positive about the future and more resilient in the face of challenges, according to a new study released February 9 in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
    Julianna Bragg, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Probe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/probe. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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