Meaning & use
explore
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To travel around a place you do not know in order to find out what it is like.
Grammar: Often takes an object, but can stand alone: explore the cave, or go out and explore.
Patterns
- explore a place
- explore somewhere
We spent the morning exploring the old town.
Divers will explore the shipwreck next week.
The children love to explore on their own.
verbtransitive
To look into an idea, subject or possibility carefully in order to understand it.
Grammar: Takes an object, often an idea: explore the options.
Patterns
- explore an idea
- explore whether something
The report explores the causes of the housing crisis.
We should explore every option before deciding.
The course explores how music shapes memory.
verbtransitivemedical
To examine part of the body by touch or with an instrument, usually as a medical step.
Grammar: Takes an object, often a body part or wound.
Patterns
- explore a wound
The doctor gently explored the wound with a probe.
Surgeons explored the area to find the source of bleeding.
She explored the swollen gland with her fingertips.
Word forms
| third person singular | explores |
|---|---|
| past tense | explored |
| past participle | explored |
| -ing form | exploring |
Common combinations
- explore the possibility
- The council will explore the possibility of a new bridge.
- explore options
- She wants to explore her options before choosing a college.
- explore a theme
- The novel explores themes of loss.
- explore the area
- We explored the area on foot.
- further explore
- Scientists plan to further explore the deep ocean.
Synonyms and how they differ
- investigate
- Investigate suggests searching for facts or a cause, often officially, while explore is more open-ended.
- examine
- Examine means looking closely at something specific, whereas explore covers wandering and discovering.
- wander
- Wander means to move about without a plan and has no sense of learning, unlike explore.
- probe
- Probe means to dig into something deeply, often a secret, and sounds sharper than explore.
Opposites
Word family
- explorer noun
- a person who explores
- exploration noun
- the act of exploring
- exploratory adjective
- done to find out more
- unexplored adjective
- not yet visited or studied
Commonly confused: explore or exploit? explore or explode?
explore vs exploit
Exploit means to use something for gain, often unfairly, and is not neutral like explore.
explore vs explode
Explode means to burst with force; it differs from explore by only one letter.
Practice
Before choosing a career, Mia wanted to ___ several different options.
Choose one answer.
Explore fits looking carefully into possibilities. Exploit and explode look similar but have different meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “explore”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.