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probate

noun · verb

Simple meaning

The legal process of verifying the legality of a will.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

prohbayt

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɹoʊbeɪt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. law

    The legal process of verifying the legality of a will.

  2. law

    The act of proving that an instrument purporting to be a will was signed and executed in accord with legal requirements

  3. law

    A copy of a legally recognised and qualified will.

verb

  1. Establish the legal validity of (wills and other documents)

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Judicial / establish

probate courtprobate estatesee probate

Other combinations

probate codeprobate judgeuniform probateprobate proceedingsprobate process

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • probate courtnounCompound term

    A court having jurisdiction over the probate of wills and the administration of estates.

  • probate willnounCompound term

    A judicial certificate saying that a will is genuine and conferring on the executors the power to administer the estate.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.