How to Use potential in a Sentence

potential

1 of 2 adjective
  • The project has potential risks.
  • Critics say the factory poses a potential threat to the environment.
  • Doctors are excited about the new drug's potential benefits.
  • He is a potential candidate for president.
  • There is a lot of potential and there is a lot of room to grow still.
    Jeff Forward, Houston Chronicle, 1 Aug. 2019
  • Half of the group get the potential vaccine and half a placebo.
    Anne Saker, The Enquirer, 16 Nov. 2020
  • What are the potential risks to using topical?minoxidil?
    Tori Crowther, Allure, 13 Oct. 2022
  • Charah wants to show all the potential buyers what could be done on the site.
    Linda Gandee, cleveland, 1 Aug. 2022
  • Some of that potential is tangled up with youth in the lineup.
    Skip Snow, USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire, 3 Feb. 2020
  • The tight end dropped a potential touchdown pass near the back pylon in the fourth quarter.
    Emmanuel Morgan Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2021
  • What Moss fears the most is the potential long-term effects of covid.
    Ellen McCarthy, Anchorage Daily News, 22 July 2022
  • But there’s a lot of potential for things to go in a lot of directions.
    Eduardo A. Encina, baltimoresun.com, 21 June 2018
  • The cafe had potential, but business was sluggish and the food seemed tired.
    Emily Bobrow, WSJ, 10 Sep. 2021
  • The potential buyer made an offer, and the house is now in escrow.
    New York Times, 4 Feb. 2021
  • This was rich and saucy and had so much potential, but was too salty for both Nona and me.
    oregonlive, 16 June 2023
  • Main threat will be potential for heavy rainfall, mainly to the east of our area.
    Marie Simoneaux, NOLA.com, 13 May 2018
  • All of these charges come with the potential for fines and jail time, the authorities say.
    Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 5 Apr. 2020
  • The lease could be transferred to a potential buyer, but some wouldn’t want to take it on.
    Washington Post, 18 Dec. 2019
  • To ease potential clients into art, the Lawrences make house calls.
    oregonlive, 16 Jan. 2022
  • Dorsey warned of the potential pitfalls when a company founder stays on for too long.
    NBC News, 29 Nov. 2021
  • Use the soft light of dusk to soften the potential harshness that sunlight on a white finish can make.
    David Newhardt, sandiegouniontribune.com, 22 June 2017
  • Marte seems to be fine with this, but the bouncing around does have at least one potential downside.
    Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 13 July 2020
  • This was an airline that had a lot of potential but just didn’t have the capital.
    Barbara Peterson, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Dec. 2018
  • If the forecasts are true, the potential impact on the ocean could be big, Yu says.
    Sabrina Imbler, The Atlantic, 24 June 2020
  • Not the big name studs, but both have potential for nice production.
    Si Fantasy Staff, SI.com, 30 Aug. 2019
  • Add it up, and there’s lot of potential, and lots of unknown, which should make the fall fun to watch.
    Albert Breer, SI.com, 10 July 2018
  • But there’s still a potential for optimism that’s hard to find in other parts of the tech world.
    Adi Robertson, The Verge, 30 Dec. 2018
  • Doll points out one potential benefit of all the flooding.
    Anisha Kohli, Time, 11 Jan. 2023
  • Some of Jupiter’s moons have been studied for the potential to harbor life.
    National Geographic, 17 June 2019
  • There’s a lot of preclinical work with a lot of potential.
    Andrew Joseph, STAT, 13 Apr. 2018
Advertisement

potential

2 of 2 noun
  • He has the potential to be one of the team's best players.
  • The company has a lot of potential for future growth.
  • Scientists are exploring the potentials of the new drug.
  • The new technology has the potential to transform the industry.
  • There is potential in the new technology, but it will be a long time before it can actually be used.
  • He shows enormous potential as an athlete.
  • The potential for the red flag right now is the price tag.
    Andrew Duehren, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2021
  • The offshore potential is one of the best on the planet.
    Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2021
  • The potential for confusion is from the color of the cap for the vials.
    Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2022
  • This draft class has the potential to shape the future of the franchise.
    Akeem Glaspie, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Apr. 2021
  • This young group has a lot of work ahead of it, but the potential is there.
    Joe Magill, cleveland, 8 Sep. 2022
  • The Terps have shown flashes of potential on both ends of the floor.
    Ryan McFadden, baltimoresun.com, 7 Jan. 2022
  • But with all of those arms and legs come high turnover potential.
    Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Oct. 2021
  • The cold wind above treeline at first shut me down to the day's potential.
    Author: Christine Cunningham, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Jan. 2018
  • But in the long term, yeah, there is the potential for healing and peace.
    Vox First Person, Vox, 23 Mar. 2018
  • The potential for fishing mayhem is along for the ride.
    Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, 10 June 2018
  • This little red pill has the potential to change the course of the pandemic.
    Karen Kaplan Science and Medicine Editor, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2021
  • Much of the project's power is in its archival potential.
    Emily Dreyfuss, WIRED, 25 June 2018
  • The event has the potential to be a group gathering, as well.
    Jeff Rumage, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7 May 2020
  • Sternberg is not a boater, but sees the potential of growth.
    Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2022
  • The potential for harm to occur in that room was tremendous.
    Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 12 June 2021
  • No movie as of that date had proven to have real toy potential.
    Carol Motsinger, The Seattle Times, 25 Dec. 2017
  • The potential is certainly there for actors to take the ball and run with it.
    Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2022
  • There is also the potential that the Colts could use the franchise tag on him.
    Scott Patsko, cleveland, 12 Mar. 2020
  • The fanbase is too big, the villain is too strong, and the potential is too high.
    Evan Romano, Men's Health, 18 Feb. 2022
  • The offense showed that the potential to make plays is there on its two touchdown drives.
    Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2023
  • As a way to avoid crowds and the potential of infection, this train of thought makes a lot of sense.
    Robert Morast, SFChronicle.com, 23 Aug. 2020
  • Ready to loosen up and reach your full fitness potential?
    Andi Breitowich, Women's Health, 15 May 2023
  • But the cost of out-of-state tuition trumped on-the-field potential.
    Fletcher Page, The Courier-Journal, 24 May 2018
  • The farm couldn't be used to its full potential since its staff size decreased.
    La Risa R. Lynch, Journal Sentinel, 16 May 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'potential.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: