ENGLISH
REFERENCE

explore

v.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ɪksˈpɫɔɹ// UK //ɛksplˈɔː// ex·plore Archaic General-service Informal

v. to travel through a new place to learn about it, or to look at a topic carefully to understand it better.

v. to travel through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it; to examine a subject or possibility systematically. Transitive — takes a direct object.


SIMPLE

We spent the afternoon exploring the old city streets.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee will explore several different options before making a final decision on the budget.

COMPLEX

The documentary aims to explore the complex relationship between urban development and the preservation of local wildlife habitats in the coastal region.

Synonyms
Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs Proto-Italic *eɣ Latin ex Latin ex- Latin plōrō Latin explōrōder. Middle French explorerder. English explore From Middle French explorer, from Latin explōrāre (“to investigate, search out”), itself said to be originally a hunters' term meaning "to set up a loud cry", from ex- (“out”) + plōrāre (“to cry”), but the second element is also explained as "to make to flow" (from pluere (“to flow”)).

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object; it can also be used intransitively when the context of the location is implied.

Pitfall

We explored about the forestWe explored the forestExplore is a transitive verb and does not require the preposition 'about' when followed by a location.

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