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
But he is allowed to travel both nationally and internationally for work, even while on probation.
—
Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
Sheriff Charged with Murder After District Judge Found Dead in His Chamber
He was sentenced to seven years but will spend six and a half of those years on probation in Jan. 2024, according to the Mountain Eagle.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024
The shooter was on probation at the time and was not legally supposed to have a gun, The Enquirer reported.
—Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 10 Oct. 2024
The university system’s accreditor, the Association for Biblical Higher Education, put Olivet on probation for less than two years in 2020 and then placed the university under warning in 2022 until earlier this year.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for on probation 
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Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
Sheriff Charged with Murder After District Judge Found Dead in His Chamber
He was sentenced to seven years but will spend six and a half of those years on probation in Jan. 2024, according to the Mountain Eagle.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024
The shooter was on probation at the time and was not legally supposed to have a gun, The Enquirer reported.
—Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 10 Oct. 2024
The university system’s accreditor, the Association for Biblical Higher Education, put Olivet on probation for less than two years in 2020 and then placed the university under warning in 2022 until earlier this year.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for on probation
Dictionary Entries Near on probation
Cite this Entry
“On probation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20probation. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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