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probation

noun

Simple meaning

A period of time when a person occupies a position only conditionally and may be removed if certain conditions are not met.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

prohbayshuhn

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

pɹoʊˈbeɪʃən

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. A period of time when a person occupies a position only conditionally and may be removed if certain conditions are not met.

  2. law

    A type of sentence where convicted criminals are permitted to continue living in a community but will automatically be sent to jail if they violate certain conditions.

  3. A trial period during which an offender has time to redeem himself or herself

  4. A testing period of time.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A period of time when a person occupies a position only conditionally and may be removed if certain conditions are not met.

Used this way, probation is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use probation

  • “Probation is part of the sentencing process.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Period / sentence

probation officerprobation serviceprobation period

Other combinations

federal probationprobation departmentjuvenile probationprobation ordernational probation

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • probableadjectiveDerived adjective

    Likely but not certain to be or become true or real.

  • probablyadverbDerived adverb

    With considerable certainty.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • probation officernounCompound term

    The officer of the court who supervises probationers.

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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.