probing
Americanadjective
noun
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the act or practice of examining, investigating, or exploring something in a deep or searching way.
Constant probing of the night sky by scientists reveals an abundance of activity within our solar system.
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the act of examining or exploring something by means of a probe or any of various instruments, devices, etc..
Probing of the blocked duct was done under anesthesia.
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Computers. the process of scanning a network, database, webpage, web app, etc., in order to obtain information about its structure and any security weaknesses that could be used to launch an attack: undertaken either maliciously by hostile parties, or diagnostically and preventively by those wishing to improve security.
Other Word Forms
- probingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of probing
First recorded in 1660–70; 2000–05 gauging for def. 3; probe ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective sense; probe ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Gavalas asked Gemini to explain how it works, and began probing for ways to bypass the bot’s safeguards.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
Prosecutors are reportedly probing whether beneficiaries of agriculture subsidies had made false claims.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
Oregon’s Jeff Merkley is probing Partners Group and American Securities for financial records of for-profit child-care companies they control.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
That battle of wills set the tone for a surprisingly combative hearing, which also featured some wry probing of a mysterious secret mission Mullin supposedly went on a decade ago.
From Slate • Mar. 21, 2026
Though at this distance she couldn’t see his eyes clearly, she felt his gaze on her, probing, questioning, lingering on her eyes, her lips, her face.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
