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
1
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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2
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
These devices use quantum systems, such as atoms or electron spins, as highly sensitive probes. — Alex Krasnok, Scientific American, 25 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, 29 June 2026 That was one of the takeaways from recent probes into the condition and usage of federal buildings by a bipartisan board of presidential appointees tasked with evaluating the government’s real estate portfolio. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 26 June 2026 Real estate and other industries already face probes into algorithmic and surveillance pricing, as Americans cite housing and energy costs as top worries and question whether genuine competition still exists. — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal waged a secret legal fight to stop the US government from subpoenaing several reporters in connection with national security leak probes. — Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN Money, 23 June 2026 Trump went to extraordinary efforts to pressure the Fed into lowering, from launching criminal probes into Powell and Governor Lisa Cook, to outright insulting the chair’s intelligence. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 30 June 2026 The Justice Department declined comment after Failla's ruling, which concluded that the subpoenas violated Constitutional protections against government overreach in criminal probes and against improper searches and seizures. — CBS News, 24 June 2026 In his four years as New York mayor, Eric Adams' administration was roiled by corruption probes that led to early-morning FBI searches, resignations of top officials and indictments that alleged a rampant culture of pay-to-play politics at the highest levels of City Hall. — ABC News, 24 June 2026
Verb
Quizlet has a few AI-forward features, including a chatbot that asks you questions and probes you through a study session. — Jill Duffy, PC Magazine, 17 June 2026 In Spain, an investigative judge probes suspicions of a crime and can recommend a case go to trial if there is sufficient evidence. — ABC News, 17 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 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 Throughout her practice, Mesiti probes unusual ways of communicating, both naturally occurring or performed, doing so without making use of audible words. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 16 June 2026 Kim, already sentenced to four years in a separate bribery and stock-manipulation case, faces prosecution alongside ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol as South Korea probes his martial law rule and political allies. — Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for probes
  1. investigations
  2. explores
  3. searches
  4. inquiries
  5. investigates
  6. explorations
  7. examines
  8. examinations
Noun
  • In a separate interview, another person familiar with the situation — who has been involved in past intelligence investigations involving Venezuelan officials — offered additional allegations about the restricted zone.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
  • In an exclusive interview at FBI headquarters, Raia said the bureau's multi-agency mission center has moved beyond intelligence gathering and into active financial investigations aimed at dismantling the networks that finance political violence.
    — Asra Q. Nomani , Morgan Phillips, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of investigations
Verb
  • The book-length poem, set at a private party, explores the decadent lifestyles associated with the movie industry in California in the 1920s.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026
  • For every exhibition, book, and article that explores a sliver of our history, there are millions of stories that are not yet written—or that are still waiting for enough evidence to put together.
    — Lonnie G. Bunch III, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026
Definition of explores
Verb
  • Search data tracked by WWD shows lymphatic massage searches up 150% since 2021, face brush searches up nearly 2,850% and vibration plate searches up roughly 3,100% since 2020.
    — Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 30 June 2026
  • The risk from mass tourism Indira Navarro, who leads a civilian group in Jalisco that searches for missing people, said disappearances of young girls often spike during large sporting events.
    — Michael Rios, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
Definition of searches
Noun
  • State officials did not respond to inquiries about shellfish closures as of Sunday evening.
    — Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 5 July 2026
  • The Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency, City of Lake Geneva Police Department, Walworth County Sheriff's Office and Walworth County did not immediately respond to additional inquiries from Fox News Digital.
    — Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of inquiries
Verb
  • ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.
    — Perla Trevizo, ProPublica, 3 July 2026
  • Around 4,200 tonnes of textile waste were found, according to OLAF, which investigates fraud against the EU budget.
    — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 26 June 2026
Definition of investigates
Noun
  • Pullover styles like the Madwell Scoop Neck Mini Shift Dress in 100% Linen are breathable enough to wear all day long, and transition seamlessly from afternoon explorations to evening aperitivo.
    — Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2026
  • While Smithson and Heizer became synonymous with the movement, Holt produced one of its most sophisticated explorations of our relationship to landscape.
    — Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 3 July 2026
Definition of explorations
Verb
  • Mathias Fuelling examines the impact of Vasily Grossman’s writing, in the Soviet Union and beyond.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
  • Commissioned in 2023, the Alameda County Reparations Commission’s report examines the historical and ongoing effects of racial discrimination against the Black population.
    — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 1 July 2026
Definition of examines
Noun
  • Veterinarians conducting preliminary examinations determined many of the dogs died from gunshot wounds, according to Honsal.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • The students, who were taking their secondary school leaving examinations when they were attacked and abducted, are between 15 and 18 years old.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 June 2026
Definition of examinations

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Cite this Entry

“Probes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/probes. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of probes for Spanish Speakers

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