probable cause

English

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probable cause

Wikipedia

Etymology

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.

Noun

probable cause (countable and uncountable, plural probable causes)

1. (US, law, uncountable) Reasonable grounds for making an arrest or conducting a personal or property search.

   Synonym: pc (initialism)

2. (countable) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see probable,‎ cause.

   the probable cause of the accident

Translations

reasonable grounds for making an arrest or conducting a personal or property search

Chinese: Mandarin: 相當理由 / 相当理由 (xiāngdāng lǐyóu) Finnish: todennäköinen syy Norwegian: Bokmål: skjellig grunn til mistanke Polish: prawdopodobny motyw m Russian: доста́точное основа́ние n (dostátočnoje osnovánije)

See also

• burden of proof
• clear and convincing evidence
• preponderance of the evidence
• beyond a reasonable doubt

Further reading

• “probable cause”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “probable cause”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “probable cause” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.