probable
Americanadjective
-
likely to occur or prove true.
He foresaw a probable business loss. He is the probable writer of the article.
-
having more evidence for than against, or evidence that inclines the mind to belief but leaves some room for doubt.
-
affording ground for belief.
adjective
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likely to be or to happen but not necessarily so
-
most likely
the probable cause of the accident
noun
Other Word Forms
- nonprobable adjective
- nonprobably adverb
- quasi-probable adjective
- quasi-probably adverb
Etymology
Origin of probable
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin probābilis likely, literally, capable of standing a test, equivalent to probā ( re ) to test ( probe ) + -bilis -ble
Compare meaning
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“But Poe has not cheated; his explanation, if not probable, is possible. The game has been played fairly.”
“I don’t think that’s enough for probable cause for a homicide,” she said in asking Robert J. Totten, the Juvenile Court commissioner, to dismiss the case.
From Los Angeles Times
He said the probable explosion occurred near Lop Nor in northwest China, which has long served as China’s main nuclear test site.
Its active ingredient is glyphosate, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a unit of the World Health Organization, identified in 2015 as a probable human carcinogen.
From BBC
The International Agency for Research on Cancer considers glyphosate, one of Roundup's ingredients, a probable human carcinogen, but Bayer says scientific studies and regulatory approvals show the weedkiller is safe.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
