From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprobeprobe1 /prəʊb $ proʊb/ ●○○ verb [intransitive, transitive] 1 INVESTIGATEto ask questions in order to find things out, especially things that other people do not want you to knowprobe into I don’t want to probe too deeply into your personal affairs. Police probed claims that he had sold drugs.2 EXAMINEto look for something or examine something, using a long thin object Jules probed the mud gingerly with a stick.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
probe• The expected report from Mission Control had still not arrived; this might be the moment to do a little tactful probing.• The eyes were intently probing - a remembered deep, dark blue.• The Secretary of State is probing claims of election fraud.• Reporters began probing for more information.• I have profited from their probing into the functions such stories might serve.• I'm tired of the doctors poking and probing me with needles and tubes.• The guarding infantry probed the area but encountered nothing.• Cars streamed along the Embankment, their headlamps probing the dusk; a barge slapped its way along the shimmering river.• His eyes swept from side to side, probing the edges of the darkness.• Andrea was too distraught to speak as police probed the tragedy at Gabalfa, Cardiff, yesterday.• The press have been criticised for probing too deeply into the actor's private life.probe into• A federal grand jury will probe into the financial dealings between the two men.probeprobe2 noun [countable] 1 MHa long thin metal instrument that doctors and scientists use to examine parts of the body2 TTSa space probe3 TCNSLan investigation in which many questions are asked to discover the truth about something a police corruption probeExamples from the Corpus
probe• Ammiano called for a probe into reports of voter fraud.• I could have put my picks and probes to bed in the compartment I thus opened, but I decided not to.• Karen responded to my gentle probes.• The current data are insufficient to establish the suitability of the heater probe compared with other types of endoscopic treatment.• Lane 1 is the A+G sequence of the hybridization probe.• He subsequently alleged that the lab had produced sloppy, misleading or fabricated evidence in a number of major probes.• The idea was to manoeuvre the two modules together so that the probe entered the drogue.• The money went for staffers who were out of work when the probe ended.• The probe was applied from the front in 32 and laterally in 17 cases.From Longman Business Dictionaryprobeprobe1 /prəʊbproʊb/ noun [countable] journalism a very thorough examination of something that has happenedSYNINQUIRYThe probe focuses on an unauthorized bid placed by the company two months ago.probe into/ofThe agency is conducting a wide-ranging probe into possible collusion and fraud.federal probes of trading practices at the Chicago exchangesprobeprobe2 verb [intransitive, transitive] to ask very detailed questions to find something out, especially things people do not want you to knowTo probe further, I called economist John Mueller.The scale of losses is prompting regulators to probe the portfolios of US banks.→ See Verb tableOrigin probe2 (1500-1600) Medieval Latin proba, from Latin probare “to test, prove” 