Word.ws English Dictionary

probable cause

probable cause noun: reasonable grounds for making an arrest or conducting a personal or property search.

Noun

probable cause (countable and uncountable, plural probable causes)

  1. (US, uncountable) Reasonable grounds for making an arrest or conducting a personal or property search.
    Synonyms:
    pc
  2. (countable) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see probable, cause.
    • the probable cause of the accident

Synonyms of probable cause

Forms of probable cause

pluralprobable causes

Origin of probable cause

Elliptical for “probable cause to suspect a crime has been committed”, where probable carries the sense “worthy of acceptance or belief”. Attested in legal contexts since the 17th century.

Questions about probable cause

What does probable cause mean?
Probable cause means reasonable grounds for making an arrest or conducting a personal or property search.
What part of speech is probable cause?
Probable cause is a noun.
What is the plural of probable cause?
The plural of probable cause is probable causes.

Words near probable cause in the dictionary

  1. probabilize
  2. probabilized
  3. probabilizes
  4. probabilizing
  5. probable
  6. probable cause
  7. probable causes
  8. probable error
  9. probable errors
  10. probablely
  11. probableness

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: probable cause (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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