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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. An exploratory action, expedition, or device, especially one designed to investigate and obtain information on a remote or unknown region.
  2. n. A slender, flexible surgical instrument used to explore a wound or body cavity.
  3. n. Biology A substance, such as DNA, that is radioactively labeled or otherwise marked and used to detect or identify another substance in a sample.
  4. n. The act of exploring or searching with or as if with a device or instrument.
  5. n. An investigation into unfamiliar matters or questionable activities; a penetrating inquiry: a congressional probe into price fixing. See Synonyms at inquiry.
  6. n. A space probe.
  7. v. To explore with or as if with a probe: probe a wound; probe one's motives.
  8. v. To delve into; investigate.
  9. v. To conduct an exploratory investigation; search.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. To examine with or as with a probe; explore, as a wound or other cavity, especially of the body: often used of searching for some extraneous object in a part or organ by means of an instrument thrust into it.
  2. Figuratively, to search to the bottom; scrutinize; examine thoroughly into.
  3. To prick, as a sealed can, so as to allow the compressed air or gas within to escape.
  4. n. A proof; a trial; a test.
  5. n. A printer's proof.
  6. n. In surgery, a slender flexible rod of silver or other substance for examining the conditions of a wound or other cavity, or the direction of a sinus.

Wiktionary

  1. n. a move with multiple answers seeking to make the opponent choose and commit to a strategy
  2. v. transitive, intransitive To explore, investigate, or question
  3. v. transitive To insert a probe into.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To examine, as a wound, an ulcer, or some cavity of the body, with a probe.
  2. v. Fig.: to search to the bottom; to scrutinize or examine thoroughly.
  3. n. (Surg.) An instrument for examining the depth or other circumstances of a wound, ulcer, or cavity, or the direction of a sinus, of for exploring for bullets, for stones in the bladder, etc.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. an investigation conducted using a flexible surgical instrument to explore an injury or a body cavity
  2. v. examine physically with or as if with a probe
  3. n. an exploratory action or expedition
  4. v. question or examine thoroughly and closely
  5. n. a flexible slender surgical instrument with a blunt end that is used to explore wounds or body cavities
  6. n. an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities

Etymologies

  1. For verb: Latin probare ("to test, examine, prove"), from probus ("good"). (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English, examination, from Medieval Latin proba, from Late Latin, proof, from Latin probāre, to test, from probus, good. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

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‘probe’ has been looked up 3081 times, loved by 2 people, added to 65 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 9.