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
During summer 2024, the IRS also rejected 28,000 claims based on probabilities of fraud rather than actual examination, so many may have been improperly rejected, said Erin Collins, independent National Taxpayer Advocate, in a blog.
—
Medora Lee, USA Today, 17 May 2026
In reality, most professionals focus far more on probabilities and risk management than on forecasting exact outcomes.
—Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Using uncertain forecasts in real-world decisions Because El Niño forecasts deal in probabilities, deciding how to prepare for the seasons ahead should be based on managing risk – not waiting for certainty.
—Pedro Dinezio, The Conversation, 14 May 2026
Still, the odds of a Super El Niño between November and January have increased from a 1 in 4 chance last month to about a 1 in 3 chance in the latest strength probabilities from the CPC.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
All projections and probabilities are rounded to the nearest whole number.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 8 May 2026
Both teams had playoff probabilities exceeding 85% just a few weeks ago.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
But while the civil court found the war crimes allegations were mostly proven on a balance of probabilities, the war crime murder charges would have to be proved in a criminal court to a higher standard of beyond reasonable doubt.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
The Pirates scored two runs against Nick Pivetta in the fifth inning on three groundball hits that had hit probabilities of 22%, 10% and 21%.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Medora Lee, USA Today, 17 May 2026
In reality, most professionals focus far more on probabilities and risk management than on forecasting exact outcomes.
—Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Using uncertain forecasts in real-world decisions Because El Niño forecasts deal in probabilities, deciding how to prepare for the seasons ahead should be based on managing risk – not waiting for certainty.
—Pedro Dinezio, The Conversation, 14 May 2026
Still, the odds of a Super El Niño between November and January have increased from a 1 in 4 chance last month to about a 1 in 3 chance in the latest strength probabilities from the CPC.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
All projections and probabilities are rounded to the nearest whole number.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 8 May 2026
Both teams had playoff probabilities exceeding 85% just a few weeks ago.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
But while the civil court found the war crimes allegations were mostly proven on a balance of probabilities, the war crime murder charges would have to be proved in a criminal court to a higher standard of beyond reasonable doubt.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
The Pirates scored two runs against Nick Pivetta in the fifth inning on three groundball hits that had hit probabilities of 22%, 10% and 21%.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for probabilities
Noun
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The model was used to determine the chances that each match would experience dangerous heat conditions.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
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This graphic shows the forecast rain chances in South Florida over the next seven days.—
Lissette Gonzalez,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Many people still associate these feelings of modern belonging with the loftiest human possibilities; hence the powerful emotions that are generated when they are brought together—at the Olympic Games, for instance, or the United Nations headquarters in New York.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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And mistaking one for the other is another legacy of how the Cold War foreshortened the humanistic possibilities of the intellectual revolution of the past eighty years—a revolution that has, miraculously, allowed people to communicate with machines using human languages.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Probabilities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/probabilities. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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