Explore: Going In Without Knowing What Is There
To explore is to travel or search in order to find out. The word works for continents, ideas and options alike.
To explore is to search a place or a subject in order to learn what is in it. The key is the not-knowing. You survey what you can already see; you explore what you cannot. That is why companies explore options and doctors explore a wound.
- To travel through an unfamiliar place. *They explored the caves.*
- To examine a subject or possibility. *Explore other options.*
- To investigate medically. *Surgeons explored the injury.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | explore | Explore the area. |
| Past | explored | Fully explored. |
| Noun | exploration | Space exploration. |
| Person | explorer | A polar explorer. |
| Adjective | exploratory | Exploratory talks. |
How it is used in a sentence
- We spent the morning exploring the old town.Walking without a fixed route.
- The two sides held exploratory talks.Exploratory means before commitment.
- The novel explores grief without sentimentality.Common in reviews.
Explore, search and investigate
- Explore — go through something to find out what is there
- Search — look for a specific thing
- Investigate — examine to establish facts, often after an event
- Probe — investigate persistently, or examine physically
- Survey — take an overall measured view
From Latin *explorare*, to search out, said to come from a hunter's cry on sighting game, from *ex* (out) and *plorare* (to cry out). English took it in the sixteenth century, the century of ocean voyages.
Explore or discover?
Exploring is the activity; discovering is the result. You can explore for years and discover nothing.
Can you explore an idea?
Yes, and it is the most common use in modern writing. The idea is treated as a space to move through.