To probe can be to find out something surreptitiously.
The notion of probing has several uses. This verb can refer to trying to find out something in a subtle or surreptitious manner .
Some examples
Below we have three example sentences with this meaning, in which the source of the information to be found out is another person: "I'm going to sound out Matías to see if we can organize the meeting at his house" , "I don't think asking for a salary increase right now is a good idea, but I'll make sure to sound out the boss anyway" , "Last night they called me to sound out my opinion on the measures taken by the government" .
In the first example, the speaker says that he will speak to Matías to find out if he is willing to offer his house for a meeting . This is done in a subtle or discreet manner, as he does not feel comfortable asking him directly because he is afraid that he will consider it a breach of trust. The second sentence presents a similar case: the speaker wants his salary to be increased but does not consider it convenient to talk about the subject directly, instead he prefers to sound out his boss, to generate a conversation from which he can deduce if this improvement in his working conditions is feasible.
Finally, the third example presents a situation in which the sender received a telephone call to secretly find out his opinion on the political situation. It was not a one-off questionnaire, but rather a conversation that revolved around the main topic without getting so close that the answers were too compromising.
Estimate a value
To test, on the other hand, may consist of approximately estimating a quantity, a measurement, a weight , etc. To do this, one observes the appearance of that whose characteristics one intends to test or one resorts to some informal or imprecise resource: “To test the temperature of the oil, it is best to throw a few drops of water on it and see if a reaction occurs” , “We passed by the fair so quickly that I couldn't even test the price of fresh fruit” , “The man lifted the stone to test its weight and determine if it would be useful to him” .
Before proceeding with the explanation of the examples, we can establish a relationship between this meaning and the one given at the beginning: in both cases, the contact with the desired information is not direct or deep, but rather more or less superficial and not very risky . In the first sentence, the speaker states that it is possible to know if the oil has reached the desired temperature by observing the reaction of a few drops of water in the pan; it goes without saying that for an accurate measurement a tool such as a thermometer would be necessary, since this method will simply give us estimated values.
The second example presents a different situation, where to feel out is understood as looking at a price with little care: to feel out a price is simply to look at it for a moment, and not to study it or compare it closely with another or others to make sure that it is really suitable. Finally, in the third sentence, a man dispenses with an instrument such as a scale and decides to weigh a stone simply with his hand, since he is not interested in the exact value.
To estimate the weight of something without instruments is to feel it out.
In law
In the field of law , preemption means offering for an item the same price at which the item in question was auctioned off to another individual, thus making use of the preference granted by law in specific cases. It can be said that preemption is a right of acquisition that grants someone priority at the time of an acquisition .
The person with the right of first refusal has a certain period of time to exercise it. Thus, by first refusing, he can complete the purchase before the others.