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# probate

noun (probate, uncountable); verb (probate, probates, probated — USA)

«probate» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (law) Probate is the official legal process that checks that a dead person's will is real, so that their money and belongings can be shared out as the will says. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/probate/#m1)
2. (USA, law) To probate a will is to prove it in court. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/probate/#m2)

### In the lessons

This is an adult, legal word children meet when a grandparent dies and the family talks about the will. A probate court or office deals with it, and it can take months. Phrases: «grant of probate», «go through probate», «probate court».

### Examples

- After Grandad died, Mum had to deal with probate. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/probate/#x1)
- The house cannot be sold until probate is finished. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/probate/#x2)
- The lawyer applied for probate of the will. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/probate/#x3)
- Probate can take many months. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/probate/#x4)
- The probate court checked that the will was real. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/probate/#x5)
- Aunt Jo explained probate to me at the kitchen table. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/probate/#x6)
- Without probate, the bank will not hand over the money. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/probate/#x7)

### Note

Uncountable in British use. Formal and legal. Related: will, executor (the person who carries out the will), inheritance. Do not confuse with «probation» (a time of being tested or watched, e.g. after a crime).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «probate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/probate/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«probate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/probate.html) on Mova free.