probation

American  

[proh-bey-shuhn] / proʊˈbeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of testing.

2. the testing or trial of a person's conduct, character, qualifications, or the like.

3. the state or period of such testing or trial.

4. Law.

   1. a method of dealing with offenders, especially young persons guilty of minor crimes or first offenses, by allowing them to go at large under supervision of a probation officer.

   2. the state of having been conditionally released.

5. Education. a trial period or condition of students in certain educational institutions who are being permitted to redeem failures, misconduct, etc.

6. the testing or trial of a candidate for membership in a religious body or order, for holy orders, etc.

7. Archaic. proof.

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probation British  

/ prəˈbeɪʃən /

noun

1. a system of dealing with offenders by placing them under the supervision of a probation officer

2. 1. under the supervision of a probation officer

   2. undergoing a test period

3. a trial period, as for a teacher, religious novitiate, etc

4. the act of proving or testing

5. a period during which a new employee may have his employment terminated on the grounds of unsuitability

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Other Word Forms

• nonprobation noun
• probational adjective
• probationally adverb
• probationary adjective
• probationship noun

Etymology

Origin of probation

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English probacion, from Latin probātiōn- (stem of probātiō ); see probate, -ion

Explanation

A probation is a period of time when a criminal needs to be on their best behavior: they're not in jail (yet or anymore) but they have to do certain things demanded by the court. Being put on criminal probation is like getting a second chance before more serious penalties apply: you might have to pay a fine, do community service, or be monitored to make sure you don’t get into any more trouble. Some criminals are released from jail early and put on probation. People also talk about probation for non-criminal issues: there could be a probation period for joining a club, when they check you out before deciding to let you in.

Example Sentences

Because she’s on pretrial probation, the federal government has seized her passport.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

Members of the trial team refused to sign paperwork allowing Kirk to plead to a lesser charge and serve probation instead of prison.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

After serving 16-and-a-half months of his sentence, he was released on probation and has since been working to rebuild his life, which was recently the subject of BBC Three documentary The Trials of Pa Salieu.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

He was sentenced to 24 months of probation and one day in jail, court records show.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Under the new policy, a school with low reading scores would be placed on probation and face the threat of being shut down, its staff to be dismissed or reassigned.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Related Words

• trial