as in investigation
a systematic search for the truth or facts about something
questionings and probings by several committees into the affair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in exploring
to search through or into
tabloid reporters who seem determined to probe every detail of the singer's private life
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in searching
to go into or range over for purposes of discovery
probing the depths of the undersea trench
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of probing
Fortune Editors,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
Davis’ ability to reflect and respond with his pithy probing of the disagreeing chord turned chaos into something cogent.
—
Steven D. Reske,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
It’s composed of 22 bilaterally symmetric appendages that ring the nostrils and move independently, sweeping the substrate in continuous probing arcs.
—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Here’s a probing, exclusive, in-depth conversation Benn had with The Athletic following Monday’s practice.
—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
The hosts also talk about Prasad’s second exit from the FDA and a congressman’s probing of the agency’s rare disease drug denials.
—
Adam Feuerstein,
STAT,
12 Mar. 2026
To this end, the event was likely either a misunderstanding or a deliberate probing of China’s aerial defense response.
—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
Those memorable segments demonstrated how the desk-and-sofa format could be a tool in the politician’s arsenal for shaping public opinion away from the pesky probing of journalists.
—
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Giscard d’Estaing’s campaign self-consciously emulated American political campaigns of the day, and Depardon appropriately applies the tools of direct cinema to give us a probing, intimate look at the candidate on the cusp of power.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
20 Jan. 2026
Lua Vollaard,
ARTnews.com,
24 June 2026
By probing his triple role as author, anthropologist and cult leader, the book asks why Americans hunger for seductive spiritual hoaxes.
—
Los Angeles Times,
23 June 2026
Groff appeared before the House panel probing the Epstein investigations.
—
Lauren Peller,
ABC News,
23 June 2026
Even the most technology-savvy leaders are still pondering and probing where the ceiling is in terms of containing agent sprawl and complexity.
—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Investigators are probing the possibility that the operator may have been financially motivated, clearing out space to accept more dogs from shelters across the state — and the $400 to $1,450 payment that came with each dog.
—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
The cause of the crash has not been identified and the Air Force said an interim safety investigation board has begun probing the crash, a process officials said could take as long as six months before initial findings are released.
—
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
This network stretched from college campuses to New York and into the orbit of organized crime figures who were actively probing college athletics for vulnerabilities.
—
David Mica,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
The result is a thinner public record — fewer probing conversations and opportunities to contextualize the art beyond a social media post or livestream.
—
John Kennedy,
VIBE.com,
9 June 2026
Noun
Mission two was to do a lot of listening, a lot of probing, a lot of asking questions, skip levels to really understand the opportunity for the go forward, but also embrace what makes TIAA incredibly special.
—
Fortune Editors,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
Davis’ ability to reflect and respond with his pithy probing of the disagreeing chord turned chaos into something cogent.
—
Steven D. Reske,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
It’s composed of 22 bilaterally symmetric appendages that ring the nostrils and move independently, sweeping the substrate in continuous probing arcs.
—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Here’s a probing, exclusive, in-depth conversation Benn had with The Athletic following Monday’s practice.
—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
The hosts also talk about Prasad’s second exit from the FDA and a congressman’s probing of the agency’s rare disease drug denials.
—
Adam Feuerstein,
STAT,
12 Mar. 2026
To this end, the event was likely either a misunderstanding or a deliberate probing of China’s aerial defense response.
—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
Those memorable segments demonstrated how the desk-and-sofa format could be a tool in the politician’s arsenal for shaping public opinion away from the pesky probing of journalists.
—
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Giscard d’Estaing’s campaign self-consciously emulated American political campaigns of the day, and Depardon appropriately applies the tools of direct cinema to give us a probing, intimate look at the candidate on the cusp of power.
—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
Diné weaver Marilou Schultz has been probing the harmonies and dissonances between these technologies since the 1960s.
—
Lua Vollaard,
ARTnews.com,
24 June 2026
By probing his triple role as author, anthropologist and cult leader, the book asks why Americans hunger for seductive spiritual hoaxes.
—
Los Angeles Times,
23 June 2026
Groff appeared before the House panel probing the Epstein investigations.
—
Lauren Peller,
ABC News,
23 June 2026
Even the most technology-savvy leaders are still pondering and probing where the ceiling is in terms of containing agent sprawl and complexity.
—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Investigators are probing the possibility that the operator may have been financially motivated, clearing out space to accept more dogs from shelters across the state — and the $400 to $1,450 payment that came with each dog.
—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
The cause of the crash has not been identified and the Air Force said an interim safety investigation board has begun probing the crash, a process officials said could take as long as six months before initial findings are released.
—
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
This network stretched from college campuses to New York and into the orbit of organized crime figures who were actively probing college athletics for vulnerabilities.
—
David Mica,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
The result is a thinner public record — fewer probing conversations and opportunities to contextualize the art beyond a social media post or livestream.
—
John Kennedy,
VIBE.com,
9 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for probing
Noun
-
Baglio has since been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal and internal administrative investigations, police said.
-
According to a Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner death investigation report obtained by USA TODAY on July 1, Ransone's brother told an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department that the actor had a history of suicidal ideation.
Verb
-
Co-founder and tour guide Hannah Michelle Brower says the tour will be a historical journey exploring passenger pigeons and the Lenape people, as well as looking at how the arrival of European colonizers accelerated commercial exploitation and ultimately contributed to the extinction of the bird.
-
After landing in the ancient lakebed Jezero Crater in 2021, the rover has been hard at work exploring, sampling, and collecting information to help scientists put the pieces of Mars' history together.
Verb
-
French and Monaco authorities are searching for the attacker, whose motive is under investigation, Monaco's most senior government official, Minister of State Christophe Mirmand, told reporters.
-
For five days Oswadeliz Núñez Ramírez has been frantically searching for her son across hospitals in La Guaira and Caracas.
Noun
-
This will trigger a hard credit inquiry that will temporarily lower your credit score several points.
-
To stop seeking answers is a choice to dim a light that has guided human inquiry for millennia.
Verb
-
The federal government and states have begun investigating pricing strategies that companies report have led to higher profits.
-
Human remains were found in the chimney of a public school in Queens, New York, on Tuesday morning while officials were investigating a foul odor, according to police.
Noun
-
The agency has not indicated when that review will conclude, and the final scope of any patent could change during the examination process.
-
The findings came after Crump and the child's family pushed for an independent examination and called for transparency and accountability in the investigation into the June 14 shooting.
Verb
-
Drill Tech-Obayashi alleges Yuba Water is steering that investigation away from examining its own operational decisions while focusing instead on the contractor’s work.
-
The story reported that the victims had completed a safety course, while also examining state requirements and the large share of California boaters who had not.
Noun
-
For exploration further into the turquoise waters, the property’s jetty can act as a launch point for private yacht charters to secluded beaches, day trips to other islands, a kite surfing adventure, and more.
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The discovery is the culmination of lead archaeologist Ivan Šprajc’s three-decade-long exploration of the Central Maya Lowlands, home to between 9 and 11 million people during the Maya civilization’s Late Classic period (600–900 CE).
Cite this Entry
“Probing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/probing. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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