Standard Lemma guide

possibly

adv · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpɒs.ə.bli/
  • Northern-England: /ˈpɒs.ɪ.bli/
  • General-American, dialectal: /ˈpɑ.sɪ.bli/ of Canada
  • General-American, dialectal: /ˈpɑ.sə.bli/ of Canada
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, dialectal: /ˈpɒs.ə.bli/ of the US
  • Australian: /ˈpɔs.ə.bli/
  • New-Zealand: /ˈpɒs.ə.bli/
  • General-South-African: /ˈpɒs.ɪ.bli/
  • CMU ARPABET: P AA1 S AH0 B L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Perhaps; indicates that the proposition may be true (is not certainly false) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: maybe, perhaps, mayhap, mayhaps, by chance, perchance, peradventure; conceivably
  • Possibly, they will make gains in the midterm elections.
  • It was possibly the costliest mistake in the organization's history.
  • This rare and possibly unique specimen must be conserved.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: potentially, maybe, perhaps, mayhap, mayhaps, by chance, perchance, peradventure, conceivably

Antonyms: impossibly, inevitably, certainly, indubitably, undoubtably, undoubtedly, no doubt

2

adv

Meaning 2

In the realm of possibility; indicates that the action may successfully be performed (is not impossible) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker that might limit the performance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I'm much stronger than you, so you can't possibly win.
  • I couldn't possibly be there on time.
  • I couldn't possibly cheat on my wife.
  • It seems unlikely, but, yes, they could possibly win even now.
  • The police don't know him, and the information they have leads them to think he could possibly have murdered his wife.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adverb

Meaning 3

by chance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • perhaps she will call tomorrow
  • we may possibly run into them at the concert
  • it may peradventure be thought that there never was such a time

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perchance, perhaps, maybe, mayhap, peradventure

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

to a degree possible of achievement or by possible means

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they can't possibly get here in time for the funeral?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: impossibly

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English possible Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English possibly From possible + -ly.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: misschien — adverb indicating that a proposition may be true or false
  • Spanish: buenamente — adverb indicating that a proposition may be true or false
  • Bashkir: бәлки (bəlki) — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Bashkir: ихтимал (ixtimal) — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Bulgarian: възможно (vǎzmožno) — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Catalan: possiblement — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Danish: muligvis — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Danish: umuligt — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Dutch: mogelijk — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Esperanto: eble — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Finnish: mahdollisesti — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Finnish: mitenkään — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • French: possiblement — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • German: vielleicht — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • German: eventuell — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • German: möglicherweise — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • German: unmöglich — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Indonesian: mungkin saja — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Latin: fortasse — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Latin: fortassis — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Portuguese: possivelmente — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Spanish: posiblemente — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Spanish: para nada — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
  • Spanish: buenamente — adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed
Real reading context

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