probably

«probably» in Mova's school dictionary: very likely; almost certainly, but not 100% sure — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

adverb

meaning for a pupil

Probably means very likely; almost certainly, but not 100% sure. tree →

sense in the lessons

In maths and science, «probably» belongs with probability and chance: «likely», «unlikely», «certain», «impossible». In weather forecasts, «It will probably rain». In reasoning, probably means a good guess, not proof — check before saying it is true. Phrases: «most probably», «probably not».

examples

• It will probably rain this afternoon. tree →
• She is probably at home. tree →
• You probably know the answer already. tree →
• We will probably win. tree →
• It's probably a squirrel in the garden. tree →
• He probably forgot his lunch. tree →
• Probably not — the shop closes at five. tree →
• The dog has probably eaten my sock. tree →

note

Spelled «probably», not «probly». Noun: «probability»; adjective: «probable». «Probably» is stronger than «maybe» or «perhaps» and weaker than «certainly».

In the corpora

• The future of AI is probably neither all wonderful nor all terrible; it depends on the choices people make.
• Parasaurolophus had a long hollow crest that probably worked like a trumpet, making deep honking sounds.
• Raptors held their big curved toe claw off the ground while walking and probably used it to pin down prey, like hawks today.
• He wears a long dressing-gown, carries a flat candlestick, and «had probably been on his way to bed».
• Twinkling eyes mean fun and mischief, so she is probably hiding a present.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «probably» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.