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probability

[prob-uh-bil-i-tee]

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noun, plural -ties.

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.

Idiom

in all probability, very probably; quite likely: The factory will in all probability be relocated.

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Probability has a plethora of syllables.

So is dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. Does it mean:

a white, crystalline, water-insoluble, powerful high explosive, C3H6N6O6, used chiefly in bombs and shells.

a white, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, C14H9Cl5, usually derived from chloral by reaction with chlorobenzene in the presence of fuming sulfuric acid: used as an insecticide and as a scabicide and pediculicide: agricultural use prohibited in the U.S.

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Origin:
1545–55; < Latin probābilitās. See probable, -ity

Related forms

non·prob·a·bil·i·ty, noun, plural -ties.

su·per·prob·a·bil·i·ty, noun, plural -ties.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To probability

Example Sentences

Still, the game probability projections continue to do well.

Each factor increased the probability that its study would end in failure.

The information in this article is proportional to the logarithm of its inverse probability of usefulness.

EXPAND

Still, the game probability projections continue to do well.

Each factor increased the probability that its study would end in failure.

The information in this article is proportional to the logarithm of its inverse probability of usefulness.

The probability of contacting someone in our galaxy and setting up two-way communication is reasonably low.

Even miniscule energy exposures can alter these in ways that might potentially increase the probability of cancer development.

We are misled by numbers and by our misunderstanding of probability.

Economists use probability theory to make forecasts about consumer spending.

Time consuming, but there is a lower probability of forgetting info.

The human mind appears to have a bit of a problem with probability.

Then you need not second quess the probability of other advanced intelligence.

Your probability based on frequency right now is a gut feeling.

Ito is known for his contributions to probability theory, the study of randomness.

In these situations, the probability of withdrawing prematurely is minimum.

Probability on works if everything that happens is truly random.

We will consider two winning probability hypotheses.

Here's a roundup of those tasty tidbits, along with our probability estimation for each prediction coming true.

The probability of a reasonably orderly conclusion of the crisis appears to be falling.

At this point, the seeker-using and continuously updating this probability map-would employ an exploratory behavior.

In each case, the pundits rated the probability of several possible outcomes.

Based on these patterns, they create an index, which spits out the overall probability of a crisis occurring.

Actual losses could be higher than that, but the probability is lower.

It instead relies on measurements and comparisons of probability distribution functions at the source and the detector.

Many observers no doubt felt that would allow him to defy the cold logic of actuarial probability and remain in charge forever.

The response a person takes to treat a victim decides the probability of his/her survival.

He also calculated the probability of kicking a successful field goal from various spots on the field.

The balance of probability is that the markets will keep their nerve and help foster benign adjustment.

As any researcher will tell you, scientists need probability.

It therefore has a statistically insignificant probability of not sucking.

Bayes was one of two main influences on the early development of probability theory and statistics.

But in fact, one observes spikes on a regular basis-as often as every month-and their probability amounts to a few hundredths.

But consider instead using probability and genetics.

But even for an average gang member, the probability of dying was high.

Probability that a piece of space junk will survive reentry.

What seismologists can do is identify places where there is a high probability of a strong earthquake happening in the future.

It encourages people to invest their dreams, their hopes for a better future, into an infinitesimal probability.

The model also uses feedback about how its predictions fare over time to fine-tune their probability estimates.

Very often probability calculations are simple and yield exact values that.

On a culture blog, the probability is high a reader will not find reams of mathematical formulas and calculations.

The model shows the probability of earth movement that would be strong enough to.

The probability distribution of bosons and fermions has a symmetry that evolved due to indistinguishability of the particles.

There is a one-hundred percent probability the saola was not discovered by those merited in this article.

Strictly speaking, the probability of doomsday isn't any higher than it is on.

Good probability they never got permission to do so.

Law was a brilliant mathematician who used his understanding of probability to help his gambling habit.

It can only predict the probability that things will turn out one way or another.

The value of a college degree as a signaling device denoting a high probability of vocational success has declined.

But calculating the average probability for a group is much easier than calculating the same probability for any individual.

Montana, said such moves are rare, and the probability of a breeding pair establishing a new population elsewhere is slim.

Thus, preventing the baby from crying increases its probability of survival as well as that of the.

The different images show how the probability distribution changes for different energy levels.

Select all that apply and grading on all or nothing also dramatically cuts the probability that anyone can guess correctly.

The idea is that a phrase in one language has a certain probability of being a particular phrase in a second language.

And second benefit, the process of simply reducing the probability that the herd itself gets encountered by a predator.

The particle has a certain probability of taking each path around the obstacle.

But the probability of one being bu11$hitted here is plenty high.

There was a high probability that the result-a razor-sharp steel edge-would slice the rope.

The technique involves working through probability by detecting pairs of keystrokes, rather than individual keys.

My international experience is that the probability of free internet is inversely proportional to the cost of the room.

The probability that a marble plucked randomly from the bag will be white.

We can see that the fight looks as democracy ie the stronger group wins but there is also a probability element ie.

The jury however, wasn't told about the probability that someone in the database would match against the profile.

In his situation, he felt the appeal was warranted and had some probability of success.

Having an unhealthy child increases the probability of being convicted of a crime or incarcerated by.

In all probability the world's elite will have them pointing guns at us.

If your personality and job are a good fit, it will result in a much better job performance and probability of advancement.

With risk comes the hope of disproportionate impact, but also some probability of failure.

In all probability his next step will be to equip it with a more powerful and lighter motor.

The list of possible diagnoses is ranked in order of probability.

Asymptotic distribution, probability density function, log-likelihood-gradient-vector-jacobean-matrix-derivative-maximization.

Undoubtedly, this will reduce for a while the probability of banking accidents.

As he pointed out the probability of this ever occurring is in probability terms virtually zero.

These filters examine incoming e-mail messages and calculate the probability of it being spam based on each message's contents.

Others are the probability of success and whether warfare is a last resort:.

Probably, the identification of places where future food shortages have a high probability of occuring is not new.

But by buzzing around with hundreds of thousands of other cicadas, the probability of any one being eaten is close to zero.

It also contributes more to the probability of gaining employment in the major discipline.

The two authors measure the proximity of one product to another based on the probability that a country makes both.

Every mechanical shift increases the probability that the gear box will fail.

The probability of that happening without manipulation is one-tenth of one per cent.

Thereby discounting the actual laws of probability that govern their alleged luck.

Second, a sufficiently large surcharge would reduce the probability of a bail-out by strengthening the banks.

There has been a slight uptick in natural disasters recently but well within statistical probability.

Reactive fragments can thus be smaller and more numerous, which increases the probability of hitting the threat.

Right on target but the probability of this happening is rather low.

The general population is responsible for understanding enough of science and probability to make an informed decision.

Arithmetic, algebra, and especially probability came easy.

There is a high probability that one or more of these risks to global prosperity and stability will eventuate.

Life takes advantage of chance by its strategic response to the law of probability.

In all probability none of the alleged downloaders know it's happening.

But in this case, the probability that the triggers would get pulled would approach near-certainty.

The only question is the probability and timing of geomagnetic super storms.

Enterprise risk management requires looking at the probability of an event occuring along with the impact of that event.

Risk models can only guess at the probability of a strike in a particular place.

But at a probability that is a minute fraction of any of the above occurring.

The probability is that political nerves will both intensify the economic slowdown at home and worsen pressure on the rand.

Finally, economists tend to look at the probability distributions of outcomes and ignore the tails.

The fruit supply this season will in all probability be unusually light.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

probability (ˌprɒbəˈbɪlɪtɪ)

—n , pl -ties
1.	the condition of being probable
2.	an event or other thing that is probable
3.	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)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

probability

1550s; see probable + -ity.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

probability

(prŏb'ə-bĭl'ĭ-tē) Pronunciation Key
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 .

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

probability definition

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.

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

probability

see in all probability.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

probability

the branches of mathematics concerned with the laws governing random events, including the collection, analysis, interpretation, and display of numerical data. Probability has its origin in the study of gambling and insurance in the 17th century, and it is now an indispensable tool of both social and natural sciences. Statistics may be said to have its origin in census counts taken thousands of years ago; as a distinct scientific discipline, however, it was developed in the early 19th century as the study of populations, economies, and moral actions and later in that century as the mathematical tool for analyzing such numbers. For technical information on these subjects, see probability theory and statistics.

Learn more about probability with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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