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probability
[ prob-uh-bil-i-tee ]
noun
- the quality or fact of being probable.
- a strong likelihood or chance of something:
The probability of the book's success makes us optimistic.
- a probable event, circumstance, etc.:
Our going to China is a probability.
- Statistics.
- the relative possibility that an event will occur, as expressed by the ratio of the number of actual occurrences to the total number of possible occurrences.
- the relative frequency with which an event occurs or is likely to occur.
probability
/ ˌɒəˈɪɪɪ /
noun
- the condition of being probable
- an event or other thing that is probable
- statistics a measure or estimate of the degree of confidence one may have in the occurrence of an event, measured on a scale from zero (impossibility) to one (certainty). It may be defined as the proportion of favourable outcomes to the total number of possibilities if these are indifferent ( mathematical probability ), or the proportion observed in a sample ( empirical probability ), or the limit of this as the sample size tends to infinity ( relative frequency ), or by more subjective criteria ( subjective probability )
probability
- A number expressing the likelihood of the occurrence of a given event, especially a fraction expressing how many times the event will happen in a given number of tests or experiments. For example, when rolling a six-sided die, the probability of rolling a particular side is 1 in 6, or 1 6 .
probability
- A number between zero and one that shows how likely a certain event is. Usually, probability is expressed as a ratio : the number of experimental results that would produce the event divided by the number of experimental results considered possible. Thus, the probability of drawing the ten of clubs from an ordinary deck of cards is one in fifty-two (1:52), or one fifty-second.
Other Word Forms
- ԴDzpDz··i·ٲ noun plural nonprobabilities
- p·Dza·i·ٲ noun plural superprobabilities
Word History and Origins
Origin of probability1
Idioms and Phrases
- in all probability, very probably; quite likely:
The factory will in all probability be relocated.
More idioms and phrases containing probability
see in all probability .Example Sentences
Instead, it analyzes large amounts of data to detect patterns, and its algorithms rely on the statistical probability of a particular decision being the right one.
The IMF said the probability of a recession in the US this year was now assessed at 40%, higher than its estimate of 25% in October last year.
" we know is that once a woman reports a man and she's under police protection, the probability of further violence is substantially lowered - we've no doubts about that," says López-Ossorio.
He said that "missed opportunities" to diagnose Mr Campbell with a heart infection known as infective endocarditis had "not more than minimally contributed to his death on the balance of probabilities".
The probability of scoring both comes in at a combined total of 0.23%.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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