Adjacent Words

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

EXPLO'RE, v.t. [L. exploro; ex and ploro, to cry out, to wail, to bawl. The compound appears to convey a very different sense from the simple verb ploro; but the primary sense is to stretch, strain, drive; applied to the voice, it is to strain or press out sounds or words; applied to the eyes, it is to stretch or reach, as in prying curiosity.]
1. To search for making discovery; to view with care; to examine closely by the eye.
Moses sent spies to explore the land of Canaan.
2. To search by any means; to try; as, to explore the deep by a plummet or lead.
3. To search or pry into; to scrutinize; to inquire with care; to examine closely with a view to discover truth; as, to explore the depths of science.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: inquire into; "the students had to research the history of the Second World War for their history project"; "He searched for information on his relatives on the web"; "Scientists are exploring the nature of consciousness" [syn: research, search, explore]
2: travel to or penetrate into; "explore unknown territory in biology"
3: examine minutely
4: examine (organs) for diagnostic purposes

Merriam Webster's

verb (explored; exploring) Etymology: Latin explorare, from ex- + plorare to cry out Date: 1585 transitive verb 1. a. to investigate, study, or analyze ; look into <explore the relationship between social class and learning ability> — sometimes used with indirect questions <to explore where ethical issues arise — R. T. Blackburn> b. to become familiar with by testing or experimenting <explore new cuisines> 2. to travel over (new territory) for adventure or discovery 3. to examine especially for diagnostic purposes <explore the wound> intransitive verb to make or conduct a systematic search <explore for oil>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 travel extensively through (a country etc.) in order to learn or discover about it. 2 inquire into; investigate thoroughly. 3 Surgery examine (a part of the body) in detail. Derivatives: explorative adj. Etymology: F explorer f. L explorare

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Explore Ex*plore", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Explored; p. pr. & vb. n. Exploring.] [L. explorare to explore; ex out+plorare to cry out aloud,prob. orig., to cause to flow; perh. akin to E. flow: cf. F. explorer.] 1. To seek for or after; to strive to attain by search; to look wisely and carefully for. [Obs.] Explores the lost, the wandering sheep directs. --Pope. 2. To search through or into; to penetrate or range over for discovery; to examine thoroughly; as, to explore new countries or seas; to explore the depths of science. ``Hidden frauds [to] explore.'' --Dryden.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(explores, exploring, explored) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you explore a place, you travel around it to find out what it is like. After exploring the old part of town there is a guided tour of the cathedral... We've come to this country, let's explore! VERB: V n, V • exploration (explorations) We devote several days to the exploration of the magnificent Maya sites of Copan... N-VAR 2. If you explore an idea or suggestion, you think about it or comment on it in detail, in order to assess it carefully. The film explores the relationship between artist and instrument. = investigate VERB: V n • exploration I looked forward to the exploration of their theories. N-VAR 3. If people explore an area for a substance such as oil or minerals, they study the area and do tests on the land to see whether they can find it. Central to the operation is a mile-deep well, dug originally to explore for oil... VERB: V for n • exploration Oryx is a Dallas-based oil and gas exploration and production concern. 4. If you explore something with your hands or fingers, you touch it to find out what it feels like. He explored the wound with his finger, trying to establish its extent. VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Examine, scrutinize, investigate, search into, inquire into, pry into. 2. Examine (countries) geographically, travel through observingly.

Moby Thesaurus

beat the bushes, burrow, delve, delve into, dig, dig into, examine, fathom, forage, frisk, go into, go through, hunt, indagate, inquire into, inspect, investigate, look around, look into, look round, look through, nose around, observe, peer into, plumb, poke, poke around, poke into, probe, prospect, pry, pry into, quarry, question, research, review, root, scrutinize, search, search into, search through, sift, smell around, sound, study, survey, test, tour, travel, traverse, try