Synonyms

explore

American

[ik-splawr, -splohr] / ɪkˈsplɔr, -ˈsploʊr /

verb (used with object)

to traverse or range over (a region, area, etc.) for the purpose of discovery.

to explore the island.
to look into closely; scrutinize; examine.

Let us explore the possibilities for improvement.

Synonyms:

survey, investigate, research, study, probe
Surgery. to investigate into, especially mechanically, as with a probe.
Obsolete. to search for; search out.

verb (used without object)

to engage in exploration.

explore British

/ ɪkˈsplɔː /

verb

(tr) to examine or investigate, esp systematically
to travel to or into (unfamiliar or unknown regions), esp for organized scientific purposes
(tr) med to examine (an organ or part) for diagnostic purposes
obsolete (tr) to search for or out

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of explore

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin explōrāre “to search out, examine,” equivalent to ex- ex- ¹ ( def. ) + plōrāre “to cry out,” probably originally with reference to hunting cries

Explanation

Explore is a verb that means "to travel in or through." You might explore an island, a European city, or the rooms of an unfamiliar house. The Latin root of explore is explorare, meaning "investigate or search out." When you explore a new place, you want to see interesting things and get to know its people. Whenever you delve into something, or investigate it, you explore it. You can even explore an interest, like when you explore African art, or explore an idea or tendency in order to understand it — you can explore your fear of snakes to try to get over it.

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Vocabulary lists containing explore

Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List

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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade 11)

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Words Middle Schoolers Should Use for Comparing and Contrasting Texts

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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.

To explore whether older adults could gain similar benefits, researchers at Kyoto University examined what happens when people take up a musical instrument later in life.

From Science Daily • Jun. 13, 2026

O'Donnell said she wanted to explore other acting opportunities.

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026

“Space computing, the final frontier, has arrived. As we deploy satellite constellations and explore deeper into space, intelligence must live wherever data is generated,” Huang said at the time.

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026

So yeah, the title I think encapsulates how we’re trying to explore these different genres and all the different narrative threads in the show.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

Children can explore the timbre, production, and material of the instruments to come up with their own ways of categorizing them.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023