on probation
idiom
1
: being tested and watched at a new job to see if one is able to do the job properly
As a new employee, I will be on probation for three months.
2
: being allowed to stay out of prison after committing a crime if one behaves well, does not commit another crime, etc.
She was arrested while on probation.
3
: being watched for a period of time during which one must behave well in order not to be seriously punished after having made a serious mistake or done something bad
He was on probation for cheating.
The student was put/placed on probation for copying test answers.
Examples of on probation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
She was released on probation, the terms of which required her to maintain an approved residential address.
—
Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
He was released seven months later, in April 2023, on probation and began working again with his wife, Stephanie, at their shop.
—Carolyn Komatsoulis, Idaho Statesman, 11 Apr. 2025
At the time of the charges, Rodriguez was on probation in the 2013 overdose death of 21-year-old TCU student Thomas Boone Pickens IV, the grandson of oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2025
In 2013 he was released on probation, but was convicted again in 2016 and served time in federal prison.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on probation
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Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
He was released seven months later, in April 2023, on probation and began working again with his wife, Stephanie, at their shop.
—Carolyn Komatsoulis, Idaho Statesman, 11 Apr. 2025
At the time of the charges, Rodriguez was on probation in the 2013 overdose death of 21-year-old TCU student Thomas Boone Pickens IV, the grandson of oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2025
In 2013 he was released on probation, but was convicted again in 2016 and served time in federal prison.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on probation
Cite this Entry
“On probation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20probation. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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