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

At the time of the charges, Rodriguez was on probation in the 2013 overdose death of 21-year-old TCU student Thomas Boone Pickens IV, the grandson of oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2025

In 2013 he was released on probation, but was convicted again in 2016 and served time in federal prison. —Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025

Illinois man gets probation for body slamming motorist in Target parking lot An Illinois man got one year on probation earlier this month for following a motorist off the highway, then body slamming him in the Munster Target parking lot. —Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025

Jackson was on probation at the time, prosecutors said, but had not checked in with authorities since June. —Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 14 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for on probation

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