on probation

idiom

1

: being tested and watched at a new job to see if one is able to do the job properly

As a new employee, I will be on probation for three months.

2

: being allowed to stay out of prison after committing a crime if one behaves well, does not commit another crime, etc.

She was arrested while on probation.

3

: being watched for a period of time during which one must behave well in order not to be seriously punished after having made a serious mistake or done something bad

He was on probation for cheating.

The student was put/placed on probation for copying test answers.

Examples of on probation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

He was released from prison in 2023 and is now on probation, working with young men in Atlanta and attempting to reshape his narrative. —Jenna Dejong, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025

The office also had a retirement and one worker on probation who was put on administrative leave. —Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 30 Apr. 2025

By September 2024, the center was back on probation. —Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 29 Apr. 2025

Johnson is on probation for four years after pleading guilty more than a year ago to a single count of securities fraud in a case that has stretched for a decade and involves multiple victims. —Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025

Rhymes for on probation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation