exploratory
adjective
ex·plor·ato·ry
ik-ˈsplȯr-ə-ˌtȯr-ē 
: of, relating to, or being exploration
exploratory surgery
exploratory drilling for oil
Examples of exploratory in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Major oil exploratory companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips rose between 2% and 4%.
—
Michelle Chapman, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
The exploratory work will help gather information needed to finish the project’s design, plan for construction and obtain the permits needed.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2025
They were guided not by a desire for the perfection of their prime, but instead by an exploratory curiosity.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
One of its latest exploratory ventures was the May launch of the Tianwen-2 spacecraft, on its way to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid and then visit a comet orbiting in the main belt of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for exploratory
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Michelle Chapman, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
The exploratory work will help gather information needed to finish the project’s design, plan for construction and obtain the permits needed.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2025
They were guided not by a desire for the perfection of their prime, but instead by an exploratory curiosity.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
One of its latest exploratory ventures was the May launch of the Tianwen-2 spacecraft, on its way to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid and then visit a comet orbiting in the main belt of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for exploratory
Cite this Entry
“Exploratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exploratory. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
exploratory
adjective
ex·plor·ato·ry
ik-ˈsplōr-ə-ˌtōr-ē, -ˈsplȯr-, -ˌtȯr-
: of, relating to, or being exploration
exploratory surgery
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