- 1(law) a system that allows a person who has committed a crime not to go to prison if they behave well and if they see an official (called a probation officer) regularly for a fixed period of time The prisoner was put on probation. He was given two years' probation. Wordfinderprisoncell, death row, discharge, justice, parole, prison, probation, remission, sentence, warder Oxford Collocations Dictionary verb + probationgive somebody, place somebody on, put somebody on, … probation + nounorder, officer, department, … prepositionon probation See full entry See related entries: Prison, Types of punishment
- 2a time of training and testing when you start a new job to see if you are suitable for the work a period of probation Wordfindertrainingapprentice, certificate, coaching, college, course, intern, probation, qualify, training, work experience Oxford Collocations Dictionary verb + probationgive somebody, place somebody on, put somebody on, … probation + nounorder, officer, department, … prepositionon probation See full entry
- 3(North American English) a fixed period of time during which a student who has behaved badly or not worked hard must improve their work or their behaviour Word Originlate Middle English (denoting testing or investigation): from Old French probacion, from Latin probatio(n-), from probare ‘to test, prove’, from probus ‘good’. The legal use dates from the late 19th cent.Extra examples He was placed on probation for two years. He was sentenced to eight months in jail for violating his probation. He was under a probation order for attacking a photographer. Once your probation period is successfully completed, you will be offered a contract. She received probation upon completing a drug rehab course. She was sentenced to a year’s probation. The judge put her on probation for a year. the effectiveness of regular probation supervision
probation
nounBrE BrE//prəˈbeɪʃn//; NAmE NAmE//proʊˈbeɪʃn//
[uncountable] Prison, Types of punishmentCheck pronunciation: probation
