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probably
adverb
prob·a·bly
ˈprä-bə-blē
ˈprä(b)-blē
: insofar as seems reasonably true, factual, or to be expected : without much doubt
is probably happy
it will probably rain
Examples of probably in a Sentence
The impact probably added all but the last few percent of Earth's mass and set the stage for Earth's and the Moon's subsequent evolution.
—Mark Wilson, Physics Today, February 2008
It was no secret that McKay preferred the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat, and that, along with his innocent optimism and snark-free sincerity, probably makes him hopelessly old-fashioned.
—Richard Hoffer, Sports Illustrated, 16 June 2008
But what these newly inaugurated gym rats probably don't know is that besides buffing up their bodies for summer, they're also buffing up their brains.
—Christen Brownlee, Science News, 25 Feb. 2006
It will probably rain today.
They will probably be here soon.
It was probably the best concert I've ever been to.
There were probably about 150 people at the wedding.
“Are you going to the picnic?” “Probably.”
“Can you finish painting the room today?” “Probably not.”
Recent Examples on the Web
Detectives working on the case eventually concluded that all the scam calls were probably coming from one person as the events and methods of operation were almost identical each time.
—Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 19 Jan. 2025
In fact, exchanging letters with Sebastien probably came with more bad feelings than good ones.
—Sheila Heti, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025
The point is, as Knoblauch insinuated, McDavid probably wouldn’t have felt the need to carry out some sort of vigilante justice if either referee — Wes McCauley or Chris Lee — raised an arm to penalize Garland for what transpired beforehand.
—Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025
But tariffs would probably weigh on retailers like Ms. Bettencourt, who carries 75,000 items in her store, ranging from lawn mowers, chain saws, paint and barbecue sauce, to tropical fish, live reptiles, cookware and baby Carhartt overalls.
—Ana Swanson, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
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Word History
Etymology
see probable entry 1
First Known Use
1600, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near probably
Cite this Entry
“Probably.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/probably. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Kids Definition
probably
adverb
prob·a·bly
ˈpräb-(ə-)blē
ˈpräb-lē
: without much doubt : very likely
More from Merriam-Webster on probably
Nglish: Translation of probably for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of probably for Arabic Speakers
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