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 37% rule The mathematical question for Macy (or our would-be dater looking for love) concerns maximizing probabilities.
—
Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
Playoff probabilities swing pretty significantly from 4-3 to 3-4.
—Andy Behrens, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Heading into the weekend, our probabilities increase to medium/high chances for rain and storms.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
While most of these asteroids pose little threat, understanding their trajectories is crucial for assessing potential impact probabilities.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 8 Oct. 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
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
Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
Playoff probabilities swing pretty significantly from 4-3 to 3-4.
—Andy Behrens, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Heading into the weekend, our probabilities increase to medium/high chances for rain and storms.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
While most of these asteroids pose little threat, understanding their trajectories is crucial for assessing potential impact probabilities.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 8 Oct. 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for probabilities
Noun
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Alexander Isak couldn’t take the couple of chances that came his way and then didn’t emerge for the second half due to discomfort in his groin as strike partner Ekitike outshone him once again.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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On Wednesday, their chances of breaking this losing streak took a significant blow after news emerged about the status of star quarterback Jayden Daniels for Monday's game.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Also, color-wise, this phone doesn’t give you many possibilities.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Oct. 2025
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Detecting cancer at an early stage expands treatment possibilities and improves the chances of successful outcomes.—
Teresa Maalouf,
Verywell Health,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Probabilities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/probabilities. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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