Thesaurus results for PROBES

probes 1 of 2

noun

plural of probe

as in investigations

a systematic search for the truth or facts about something a congressional probe into the accusations

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probes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of probe

as in explores

to search through or into tabloid reporters who seem determined to probe every detail of the singer's private life

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as in searches

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

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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 probes

Noun

As President Cyril Ramaphosa deploys soldiers and orders probes into police corruption, widespread allegations of collusion with syndicates deepen residents’ mistrust and hinder investigations into such brazen attacks. —

Michelle Gumede, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026 The investigation is led by prosecutor Paolo Storari, who also has spearheaded probes into sweatshops supplying luxury brands. —

Arkansas Online, 13 June 2026 The science payload to be landed there includes seismometers, a drill to allow emplacement of heat flow and electrical conductivity probes, and instruments to study the magnetic field and surface weathering. —

Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026 The investigation is led by prosecutor Paolo Storari, who also has spearheaded probes into sweatshops supplying luxury brands. —

ABC News, 11 June 2026 The raid on Tuesday was just the latest by federal agents amid a sprawling series of probes into possible political corruption across the East Bay. —

Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 June 2026 Essayli, in announcing the probes being conducted by his office, said protecting the integrity of the state’s elections was a top priority. —

Linh Tat, Daily News, 9 June 2026 Some of these probes may already have been pulled down, considering the long timeline of Mars exploration. —

Mike Wall, Space.com, 4 June 2026 But Pulte has close ties to Trump and has been a reliable ally to the President, having publicly attacked and helped initiate probes into several of his political enemies. —

Connor Greene, Time, 2 June 2026

Verb

His intervention comes as Washington indicts and probes governors for alleged cartel ties. —

Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026 The new wording would require a challenger to put forward evidence sufficient to support a finding of fabrication before the court probes further. —

Lars Daniel, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026 Further evidence gathered by both the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a satellite that probes Mars’s surface for clues to its current and past geology, and NASA’s Perseverance rover suggests the planet also has material made up of crystals of hydrated silica—a mineral better known on Earth as opal. —

Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 12 May 2026 So the government probes by the FCC and DOJ are questioning whether the 1961 act is being violated by 2020s-era broadcasting rights to pay streaming services. —

Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026 Spe Chen speaks with the man working to preserve the city’s heritage of neon lights, and David Ingles probes the validity of an old market adage in the age of AI. —

Bloomberg, 7 May 2026 The senators' letter probes the potential political motivations of the investigation. —

Matt Peterson,emily Wilkins, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026 That tension created fertile ground for jokes, says the actor, who probes similar spaces in his Apple TV series, Shrinking. —

Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026 Hubble's images help track seasonal changes, while Webb's infrared vision probes different atmospheric layers. —

Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for probes

Noun

As with most investigations of this scale and complexity, the investigation and review of evidence has continued long after the initial incident occurred.

— Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 19 June 2026
Instead, those investigations are handled by an internal group of Air Force specialists tasked with collecting evidence, preserving it and interviewing witnesses.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026