verb

probate

PROH-bayt

verb

To legally validate a will after someone's death, confirming it as authentic before an estate is distributed.

"The will had to be probated before the heirs could receive their inheritance."

How to Use Probate

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe legal process of confirming a will is valid.

Common pairings

probate a will probate court go through probate

probated past tense, probates singular

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The will had to be _____ before the heirs could receive their inheritance.

From Latin probatus, "tested" or "proven," from probare, "to test or examine" — the same root as "probe" and "prove."

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