probe

(prōb)
n.

1. An exploratory action, expedition, or device, especially one designed to investigate and obtain information on a remote or unknown region.
2. A slender, flexible surgical instrument used to explore a wound or body cavity.
3. 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. The act of exploring or searching with or as if with a device or instrument.
5. An investigation into unfamiliar matters or questionable activities; a penetrating inquiry: a congressional probe into price fixing. See synonyms at inquiry.
6. A space probe.

v., probed, prob·ing, probes.

v.tr.

1. To explore with or as if with a probe: probe a wound; probe one's motives.
2. To delve into; investigate.

v.intr.
To conduct an exploratory investigation; search.

[Middle English, examination, from Medieval Latin proba, from Late Latin, proof, from Latin probāre, to test, from probus, good.]

prober prob'er n.
probingly prob'ing·ly adv.

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A small utility program that is used to investigate, or test, the status of a system, network or Web site. Probes are mostly used for lawful purposes to determine if a device is functional. They can also be used by crackers to locate weaknesses in the system. A Web probe analyzes a Web site and reports data such as response time, security protocols supported and type of Web server. See ping.

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noun

1. The act or an instance of exploring or investigating: exploration, investigation, reconnaissance. See investigate.
2. Something, as a remark, used to determine the attitude of another: feeler. Idioms: trial balloon. See investigate.
3. A seeking of knowledge, data, or the truth about something: inquest, inquiry, inquisition, investigation, research. See investigate.

verb

1. To go into or through for the purpose of making discoveries or acquiring information: delve, dig, explore, inquire, investigate, look into, reconnoiter, scout¹. See investigate.
2. To test the attitude of: feel out, sound³ (out). Idioms: put out feelers, send up a trial balloon. See investigate.

(DOD) In information operations, any attempt to gather information about an automated information system or its on-line users. See also information; information operations; information system.

i. A sensing device that extends into the airstream or gas stream for measuring pressure, velocity, or temperature.
ii. In air refueling, a projecting pipelike device installation on the receiving aircraft that makes a connection with the drogue to receive fuel from a tanker aircraft. See probe and drogue.
iii. An instrument boom (i.e., a boroscope). See boroscope.
iv. A mission into enemy territory to assess the alertness of its air defense system or to gather ELINT (electronic intelligence).

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1. something that searches into, examines, or tests; e.g. an instrument or tube used for exploring a cavity or sampling a fluid, or an electric conductor introduced into an electric circuit or a cavity resonator to provide electric coupling to an external circuit.
2. (in biochemistry) a chemical species, or a chemical group attached to a carrier molecule, used to investigate the chemical nature of some other particular chemical species or the physical nature of a particular environment, especially within an intact cell; a reporter group. Typically some measurable physical property of the probe (e.g. fluorescence, electron spin resonance) alters in a way that can be correlated with changes in the environment or in the macromolecule. Examples are a group having paramagnetic properties, for detection using electron spin resonance (see, e.g., TEMPO), and a fluorescent lipid molecule used to report membrane fluidity (see, e.g., parinaric acid).
3. (in molecular biology) or gene probe or hybridization probe an oligo- or polynucleotide that is complementary to an oligonucleotide or nucleic-acid sequence under investigation. The probe is normally labelled in a way that permits its ready detection, e.g. with a radioactive isotope or a fluorescent constituent. Hybridization of the probe to the oligonucleotide sequence under investigation allows that sequence to be detected. The technique finds much use in screening gene libraries, detecting oligonucleotides on blots of electrophoresis gels, and in other associated technologies.
4. to examine with or as with a probe.

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For a list of words related to probe, see:

• Space Exploration and Rocketry - probe: unmanned space mission on trajectory from Earth orbit to study another celestial object
• Tools and Equipment - probe: thin, flexible, metal rod with blunt end, used to explore cavities and wounds
• Electricity and Electronics - probe: sensing device with lead tip, used for testing equipment
• Reasoning and Examination - probe: investigate thoroughly

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See words rhyming with "probing."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Probe.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - sonde, testpind, undersøgelse
v. tr. - sondere, undersøge
v. intr. - gennembore, gennemtrænge

Nederlands (Dutch)
peilen, polsen, sonde, peiling

Français (French)
n. - enquête, (Dent, Méd, Tech) sonde, sondage
v. tr. - enquêter sur, faire des recherches, fouiner à la recherche de, (Dent) examiner (qch) avec une sonde, (Méd, Tech) sonder, tâter (une grosseur), (Aérosp) explorer (l'espace), explorer (qch) avec soin, fouiller
v. intr. - faire des recherches, rechercher, fouiner à la recherche de (péj)

Deutsch (German)
v. - erforschen, untersuchen, sondieren
n. - Sonde, Untersuchung

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - διερευνώ, (εξ)ερευνώ επισταμένως, (ιατρ.) καθετηριάζω, ξεσκαλίζω
n. - διερεύνηση με καθετήρα ή μήλη, (ιατρ.) καθετήρας, μήλη, διερεύνηση, ξεσκάλισμα, εξονυχιστική έρευνα, ανεπάνδρωτο διαστημικό ερευνητικό σκάφος

Italiano (Italian)
sondare, sonda

Português (Portuguese)
v. - provar, examinar, testar, sondar
n. - sonda (f)

Русский (Russian)
опробовать, зондировать, зонд, проба

Español (Spanish)
n. - sonda
v. tr. - investigar, examinar, sondar, explorar, sondear
v. intr. - practicar una investigación o exploración, un sondeo o examen

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - tränga in i, utforska, sondera, nå
n. - sond, undersökning

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
探针, 探测针, 调查, 用探针测, 详细调查, 用探针探查, 探测, 查究

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 探針, 探測針, 調查
v. tr. - 用探針測, 詳細調查
v. intr. - 用探針探查, 探測, 調查, 查究

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 소식자, 탐침
v. tr. - 탐침으로 찾다
v. intr. - 면밀히 조사하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 探針, プローブ, 試験, 徹底的調査, 探査
v. - 探針で探る, 厳密に調べる, 突きとめる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يسبر, يجري تحقيقا (الاسم) مسبار, مبزل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מתקן בדיקה, חקירה, בדיקה, מבחן, מכשיר בדיקה‬
v. tr. - ‮בדק, בחן, חקר, חיטט‬
v. intr. - ‮בדק, בחן, חקר, חיטט‬

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