probate
part of speech
noun (probate, uncountable); verb (probate, probates, probated — USA)
meaning for a pupil
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 →
2) (USA, law) To probate a will is to prove it in court. tree →
sense 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 →
- The house cannot be sold until probate is finished. tree →
- The lawyer applied for probate of the will. tree →
- Probate can take many months. tree →
- The probate court checked that the will was real. tree →
- Aunt Jo explained probate to me at the kitchen table. tree →
- Without probate, the bank will not hand over the money. tree →
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).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «probate» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.