like as not

1. Also, as like as not; as likely as not. In all probability, with an even chance, as in Like as not it'll rain by afternoon, or Likely as not the governor will run for a second term. In the first two terms, like is short for likely in the sense of “probably,” that is, “It is as likely as it is not likely.” [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Every one of these 15 stories is narrated by a man in his 40s, like as not striving for patience with a clinically depressed wife or girlfriend.

From New York Times

“Like as not,” Riggs says, the remaining works were “crushed in a landfill.”

From Washington Post

“I told you nine years ago you were becalmed, didn’t I? And you are. Your indenture’s almost over—but what can you do? Keep on working in a chandlery, like as not.”

From Literature

Like as not, all else her folks would have was fried fatback, cream gravy, and corn pone.

From Literature

So just about the time I got ready to start I’d have to drop everything and run to sell some redneck a dime’s worth of nails or something, and Earl up there gobbling a sandwich and half way back already, like as not, and then I found that all the blanks were gone.

From Literature

Related Words

• presumably