english
1
general::
likely
adverbs
very/highly/extremely likely
• It did not seem very likely that he was still alive.
more/most likely
• At this age, boys were more likely than girls to be active in sports.
quite likely
British English (= very likely )
• As parents, if we expect bad behaviour we are quite likely to get it.
less/least likely
• The smallest puppies are the least likely to survive.
hardly likely
(= not very likely )
• It seems hardly likely that she would tell her husband about it.
more than likely
(= very likely )
• She'll be late, more than likely.
increasingly likely
• The project looked increasingly likely to fail.
seem/appear/look likely
• Which candidate seems likely to win?
nouns
a likely explanation
• What is the most likely explanation for the way she acted?
a likely result/outcome
• the most likely outcome of the election
a likely effect/consequence
• Consider the options open to you, and their likely consequences.
the likely impact
(= the likely effect or influence of something )
• What is the likely impact of the new factory on the local environment?
a likely cause/reason
• the likely cause of the accident
transnet.ir
2
general::
adj. VERBS appear, be, look, seem ADV. extremely, highly, very It is highly likely that the factory will have to close. | hardly They're hardly likely to get home before ten. | quite
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
adj.
plausible:
That is a likely excuse.
adv.
probably:
We shall likely go soon.
Simple Definitions