VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

probation

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/prəˈbeɪ.ʃən/
US/proʊˈbeɪ.ʃən/

Meanings

  1. noununcountablelaw

    A court-ordered period in which a person who has broken the law lives freely but must follow rules and report to an officer.

    Grammar: Usually no article: he is on probation, not 'a probation'.

    Patterns

    • on probation
    • sentence someone to probation
    • violate probation

    The judge gave him two years of probation instead of jail time.

    She must meet her probation officer every month.

    Missing a meeting can end a person's probation.

  2. nouncountable or uncountable

    A trial period at the start of a job or course, during which someone's suitability is tested.

    Grammar: Often 'a probation period' or 'on probation': both describe the same trial time.

    Patterns

    • on probation
    • a probation period of something

    New staff are on probation for the first three months.

    He passed his probation and was offered a permanent contract.

    The student was placed on academic probation after failing two classes.

Common combinations

on probation
She is on probation for six months.
probation officer
His probation officer checks in weekly.
probation period
The probation period ends in March.
violate probation
He violated probation by leaving the state.
sentenced to probation
The driver was sentenced to probation.

Synonyms and how they differ

trial period
Trial period only covers testing someone or something, while probation also covers court supervision.
parole
Parole is early release from prison, whereas probation replaces prison from the start.
suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a prison term that is not served unless a rule is broken, which is related but a different legal arrangement.

Opposites

imprisonment

Word family

probationary adjective
relating to a trial period
probationer noun
a person on probation
probate noun
the legal process of proving a will
probe verb
to investigate closely

Commonly confused: probation or parole?

probation vs parole

Parole releases a prisoner early after part of a sentence; probation is served in the community instead of prison.

Practice

The judge did not send her to prison but placed her ______ for two years.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “probation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words