probe

SayPROHBUS/pɹoʊb/UK/pɹəʊb/

12 meanings of probe

1
nounfigurativelycountable
An official attempt to find out the truth about something, often by police or reporters.
Like digging carefully to find out what really happened.
The police started a probe into the missing money.
A probe found that the company had broken safety rules.
Similarinvestigation, inquiry, examination
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2
verbtransitive or intransitive
To examine or question something closely to learn the truth about it.
Like searching carefully through a dark room to find something.
Doctors probe the cause of the strange illness.
The team will probe what went wrong with the machine.
Similarinvestigate, explore, examine, delve, scrutinize
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3
nouncountable
A thin medical tool used to look inside a wound or part of the body.
Like a thin stick a doctor uses to feel inside a cut.
The surgeon used a probe to check how deep the wound was.
The nurse gently slid a probe into the narrow channel.
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4
nouncountable
A small spacecraft, usually with no crew, sent to gather information about space.
Like sending a little robot explorer far out into space to look around.
The probe sent back the first close-up photos of Jupiter.
Scientists launched a probe to study the distant comet.
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5
nouncountable
A small device, such as an electrode, that measures something when placed in or pushed into it.
Like a thermometer you stick into food to check how hot it is inside.
The technician placed a probe in the soil to read the temperature.
A pH probe tells you how acidic the liquid is.
Similarsensor, electrode
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6
verbtransitive
To put a thin tool inside something so you can examine it.
Like poking a stick into a hole to feel what is inside.
The vet probed the animal's ear gently.
Nurses probe the cut to find the tiny splinter.
Similarexamine, test
7
nouncountable
A single poke or prod made to feel or test something.
Like a quick poke to see how something feels.
He gave the box a probe with a stick to see what was inside.
One probe at the wound told the nurse it was deep.
Similarprod, poke, jab
8
nounfigurativelycountable
Something that pushes into something else to explore it or to get information.
Like a finger reaching into the dark to feel what is there.
His question was a probe into what she really thought.
The survey was a probe to find out what people wanted.
Similarinquiry, investigation, exploration, examination
9
nouncountable
A group of atoms or molecules marked with radioactivity and used to study another molecule.
Like sticking a small glowing tag on one thing so you can find it among many.
Researchers used a radioactive probe to find the gene.
The probe stuck to its matching piece of DNA.
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10
nouncountable
A tube on an aircraft that fits into a basket from a tanker plane to take in fuel while flying.
Like fitting a straw into a cup, but between two planes flying in the sky.
The pilot guided the probe into the basket to start refueling.
The probe extended from the jet's nose to reach the tanker.
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11
nouncountable
A made-up tool that aliens are said to use on the people they take.
In the comic, the aliens chased the farmer with a glowing probe.
He joked that the aliens would get him with their probe.
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12
nouncountable
In the game Go, a move that forces your opponent to pick a plan and stick to it.
Like asking a tricky question to make someone show their plan.
She opened with a probe to see how he would defend the corner.
A well-timed probe forced black to reveal its plan early.
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Practice

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Origin

The verb comes from Latin "probare" meaning "to test or prove," from "probus" meaning "good." The noun comes from Late Latin "proba" meaning "a proof."