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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 full scope of the probe, which is being run out of the Eastern District of New York, is unclear. Evan Drellich, New York Times, 22 June 2025 Investigator Daniel Carvalho Brasil Nascimento, who chairs the probe, named one of the former president's sons, Rio de Janeiro councilor Carlos Bolsonaro, as a key plot member. Arkansas Online, 20 June 2025
Verb
Sunday's launch marked the 50th and final flight for the H-2A, which has served as Japan's mainstay rocket to carry satellites and probes into space with a near-perfect record since its 2001 debut. Arkansas Online, 29 June 2025 The state police and Correction and Community Services’ Office of Special Investigations probes any in-custody death that isn’t the result of natural causes, Whittaker said. John Annese, New York Daily News, 29 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for probe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for probe
Verb
  • The national police Anti-Cybercrime Group is currently investigating another deepfake of Marcos promoting an online trading platform.
    Cecilia Hult, Fortune, 28 June 2025
  • So Almonte, 23, who also needed to see a doctor, investigated her employer's health offerings.
    Renuka Rayasam, NPR, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • Dive into the mysterious and vital world of mangroves to explore how mangroves support biodiversity, protect shorelines from erosion, and combat climate change by capturing vast amounts of carbon.
    Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2025
  • The spot was known to local indigenous farmers, but was never explored in depth by researchers because of its unassuming location.
    Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • The New York Times, which first broke the news of Ryan's resignation, reported on Thursday that the Justice Department was pressuring Ryan to step down in order to resolve a civil rights inquiry into the university.
    Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 28 June 2025
  • Sustainable Beef didn't immediately reply to an inquiry for more information about the company.
    Serenah McKay, Arkansas Online, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • In the film, the trio each examine a different Ms. cover story to honor the legacy of the magazine.
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 27 June 2025
  • The Congress must thoroughly examine this decision by the Supreme Court to find ways to legislate and protect the Constitutional right to citizenship for all those born in America.
    Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • But the Israel-Iran conflict − and Trump's decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites − has scrambled the high-stakes meeting as world leaders search for an endgame to the 12-day air war that's killed hundreds of people in Iran and dozens in Israel.
    Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 25 June 2025
  • At 51, Steve Burns is still searching for clues about the meaning of life.
    Todd Spangler, Variety, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • That hasn’t, however, extended to a deep examination of last season’s Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
    Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 19 June 2025
  • An extensive review of commercial reports and academic papers providing measures of the size of the sports industry, coupled with an examination of how other industries were sized, provided a number of helpful ideas for building a model that captured the broad expanse of the global sports industry.
    Dennis Howard, Sportico.com, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • However, those who loved the show for its themes of exploration and diplomacy may resent how this film’s success began Star Trek’s slow transformation into an action franchise.
    Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 30 June 2025
  • At the end of the war, a wave of mineral exploration arose across the world to meet the needs of rapidly expanding economies.
    Laura Poppick, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • The bones, which date back to an interglacial period in which Neanderthals lived, were from animals like red deer and horses, according to a study published on July 2 in Science Advances.
    Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2025
  • The collapse of tropical forests was the primary cause of the prolonged global warming that followed, according to a new study published July 2 in the British journal Nature Communications.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 5 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Probe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/probe. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

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