as in searching
to go into or range over for purposes of discovery
soon all manner of people had arrived in the valley to prospect it for gold
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Recent Examples of prospecting
The three water companies were founded more than a century ago, when Los Angeles was still a fledgling town surrounded by farms, and miners were prospecting for gold on the slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains.
—
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Over a year ago, our sales team identified prospecting as the biggest bottleneck in its daily workflows.
—Dennis Woodside, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
Over the years, many scientists have suggested that prospecting for He-3 could be accomplished using high-energy gamma rays, in the 20 megaelectron volt (MeV) region.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 30 Sep. 2025
In 2027, the company plans a prospecting mission to one of their target spots to analyze dirt samples.
—Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Those companies, in turn, are selling their AI products to all the non-tech companies that are prospecting for gold — that is, looking for ways that AI can make their operations cheaper or more efficient.
—Maria Aspan, NPR, 30 Aug. 2025
Cadences, a feature also present in Salesforce Sales Cloud Lightning Professional, guides you through the prospecting process by mapping out activity sequences.
—Alison Barretta, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2023
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Over a year ago, our sales team identified prospecting as the biggest bottleneck in its daily workflows.
—Dennis Woodside, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
Over the years, many scientists have suggested that prospecting for He-3 could be accomplished using high-energy gamma rays, in the 20 megaelectron volt (MeV) region.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 30 Sep. 2025
In 2027, the company plans a prospecting mission to one of their target spots to analyze dirt samples.
—Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Those companies, in turn, are selling their AI products to all the non-tech companies that are prospecting for gold — that is, looking for ways that AI can make their operations cheaper or more efficient.
—Maria Aspan, NPR, 30 Aug. 2025
Cadences, a feature also present in Salesforce Sales Cloud Lightning Professional, guides you through the prospecting process by mapping out activity sequences.
—Alison Barretta, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prospecting
Verb
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In contrast, the war with Iran sent investors searching for havens like gold but did little to dim corporate earnings prospects.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
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The Pentagon is searching for a new way to move supplies through dangerous coastal waters.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For people on the edge of considering bankruptcy, there are a few alternatives worth exploring first.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
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The film also situates the Eraserheads within the broader context of Philippine society, exploring how their music became bound up with the nation’s identity during a period of sharp political division.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prospecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prospecting. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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