to travel through a place in order to discover what it is like
During their vacation, the family decided to explore the ancient castle on the hill.
Maria grabbed her map and set off to explore the winding streets of the old town.
✦ Borrowed from Latin explorare “to search out, investigate.” The modern sense of travelling through unfamiliar places became common in the 16th–17th centuries.
to study, discuss, or think about something in detail to understand it better
In her essay, Lily will explore the impact of social media on teenagers.
The teacher asked the class to explore different solutions to the problem.
to open part of the body during surgery in order to find the cause of a problem
The surgeon had to explore the patient's abdomen to locate the source of the bleeding.
If the scans are unclear, doctors may explore the area during surgery.
