probability
/prɒbəˈbɪlɪti
/noun (plural probabilities) [mass noun]
1The quality or state of being probable; the extent to which something is likely to happen or be the case: the rain will make the probability of a postponement even greater...
- They will continue to kidnap because probability shows that the chance of being caught and prosecuted in Trinidad is slim.
- The laws of probability say it cannot happen but Maine Road is still too fresh in the minds of Minstermen everywhere for it to be ignored just yet.
- He agreed with the coroner that on the balance of probability it was likely someone else had been in the graveyard when the stone fell on Adam.
Synonyms
likelihood, likeliness, prospect, expectation, chance, chances, odds, possibility
1.1 [count noun] A probable or the most probable event: for a time revolution was a strong probability...
- By ‘it is clear’, I mean that the facts establish this as a strong probability.
- If she is young and attractive, the court may consider her remarriage to be a strong probability.
- Give us some sense about the probabilities that you are talking about here and what you are looking for.
Synonyms
probable event, prospect, possibility, good/fair/reasonable bet
1.2 Mathematics The extent to which an event is likely to occur, measured by the ratio of the favourable cases to the whole number of cases possible: the area under the curve represents probability [count noun]: a probability of 0.5...
- In the field of mathematics he worked on probability, recurring decimals and the theory of equations.
- Among seven people, there is about a 60 percent probability that two will have birthdays within a week of each other.
- When there are twice as many attackers as defenders, the winning probability exceeds 80 percent.
Phrases
in all probability
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin probabilitas, from probabilis 'provable, credible' (see probable).