as in odds
a measure of how often an event will occur instead of another
the probability of flipping a coin and getting heads 50 times in a row is not good
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Recent Examples of probabilities
The map shows probabilities of at least 5 percent.
—
William B. Davis, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Investors can either position themselves before the announcement based on previous probabilities or wait to take advantage of post-earnings movements in the days that follow.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
From there, traders are assigning a better than 70% chance of cuts in both October and December, according to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool, which gauges rate cut probabilities using 30-day fed funds futures contract prices.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
Those probabilities will be totally wrong, at the beginning.
—Nate Soares, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
Earlier updates during the same period showed higher probabilities, with some forecasts seeing formation chances as high as 90 percent prior to the recent downgrades.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
The extra copy is a problem, again spoiling the careful accounting of probabilities that quantum mechanics relies on.
—Matt Von Hippel, Quanta Magazine, 27 Aug. 2025
The best scenario for snow on the ground on Christmas Day would be in a region highlighted in white, where probabilities exceed 90%.
—Meredith Garofalo, Space.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Throughout the campaign, Kalshi and Polymarket frequently showed dramatically different probabilities for the same outcome.
—James Broughel, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
William B. Davis, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Investors can either position themselves before the announcement based on previous probabilities or wait to take advantage of post-earnings movements in the days that follow.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
From there, traders are assigning a better than 70% chance of cuts in both October and December, according to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool, which gauges rate cut probabilities using 30-day fed funds futures contract prices.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
Those probabilities will be totally wrong, at the beginning.
—Nate Soares, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
Earlier updates during the same period showed higher probabilities, with some forecasts seeing formation chances as high as 90 percent prior to the recent downgrades.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
The extra copy is a problem, again spoiling the careful accounting of probabilities that quantum mechanics relies on.
—Matt Von Hippel, Quanta Magazine, 27 Aug. 2025
The best scenario for snow on the ground on Christmas Day would be in a region highlighted in white, where probabilities exceed 90%.
—Meredith Garofalo, Space.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Throughout the campaign, Kalshi and Polymarket frequently showed dramatically different probabilities for the same outcome.
—James Broughel, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for probabilities
Noun
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To be sure, more frequent exams can increase the chances of false positives—a stressful experience that sometimes deters future screenings.—
Jennie Durant,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
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However, a lingering injury kept him out for the next game, effectively ending any chances of him winning the backup job.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Just as animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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Among the possibilities, NFLX stands out as interesting.—
Michael Bloom,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Probabilities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/probabilities. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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