possible

Syllables: pos·si·ble/ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Northern England/ˈpɒs.ɪ.bl̩/

possible adjective: able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible.

Adjective

possible (comparative more possible, superlative most possible)

(not comparable, usually) Able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible.
- Rain tomorrow is possible, but I wouldn't bet on it.
- It's not just possible, it's probable that there will be rain tomorrow.
Synonyms:

futurable

Antonyms:

certain, inevitable, impossible
(comparable) Capable of being done or achieved; feasible.
- It's possible for anyone to learn to play the bagpipes.
- And success in minor degree, in the sense in which he uses the term "success," is only somewhat more possible than success in winning the White House chair.1901, Louis Freeland Smith, The Public, volume 4, page 438
Synonyms:

achievable, doable, viable

Antonyms:

impossible
Being considered, e.g. for a position.
- Jones and Smith are both possible for the opening in sales.
Apparently valid, likely, plausible.

Synonyms:

likely, plausible

Antonyms:

implausible

Noun

possible (plural possibles)

(colloquial, rare) A possible choice, notably someone being considered for a position.
- Jones is a possible for the new opening in sales.
Synonyms:

candidate
(colloquial, rare) That which is possible for somebody.
- […] “don’t you be in any great hurry after that treasure.”
  “Why, sir, I do my possible, which that ain’t,” said Silver. “I can only, asking your pardon, save my life and the boy’s by seeking for that treasure; and you may lay to that.”1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC
(rare) A particular event that may happen.

possible meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

possible in Hindi

able but not certain to happen: संभव sambhav, मुमकिन mumkin

possible in Tamil

முடியும், நிகழக்கூடிய, செய்யப்படக்கூடிய, பயன்படுத்தப்படக்கூடிய ஒன்று, சாத்தியம், ஒல்லும்

possible in Marathi

possible: संभव sambhav, शक्य śakya

possible in Urdu

able but not certain to happen: ممکن mumkin

More languagesFewer languages

possible in Bengali: সম্ভব śombhob
possible in Telugu: సాధ్యము sādhyamu
possible in Malayalam: സാധ്യം sādhyaṁ, സാധ്യ sādhya, നടക്കുന്ന naṭakkunna
possible in Kannada: ಸಾಧ್ಯ sādhya
possible in Punjabi: ਸੰਭਵ sambhav
possible in Gujarati: શક્ય
possible in Sanskrit: शक्य śakya
possible in Nepali: सम्भव sambhav, हुन सक्नु huna saknu
possible in Pashto: شونی šonay
possible in Tagalog: posible
possible in Arabic: مُمْكِن mumkin
possible in Persian: ممکن momken
possible in Thai: เป็นไปได้ bpen-bpai-dâi
possible in Vietnamese: có thể

Examples of possible in a sentence

Now she had come to look upon the matter in its true proportions, and her anticipation of a possible chance of teaching him a lesson was a pleasure to behold.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company...
In short, the Leninist-Stalinist version of socialism was a possible interpretation, though certainly not the only possible one, of Marx's doctrine.1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume I: The Founders, Oxford: Clarendon...
Peace between Israel and the Arab countries is "more possible than any time before," says ex-Arab League U.N. ambassador Clovis Maskoud.1993 September 10, Lee Michael Katz, “Expectant Mideast hopes to bear twin peace deals”, in USA Today, archived from the original on 30 Jun...
It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible.2013 June 29, “A punch in the gut”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, pages 72–3:

All 40 example sentences with possible

Synonyms of possible

Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of possible

Forms of possible

Adjective
comparative	more possible
superlative	most possible
Noun
plural	possibles

Origin of possible

From Middle English possible, from Old French possible, from Latin possibilis (“possible”), from posse, possum (“to be able”); see power. Displaced Middle English acumendlic (“possible”), from Old English ācumendlīċ (“possible”). Compare also Old English mihtelīċ (“strong, capable, powerful, possible”), which was cognate with Old High German mahtlīh (“possible”) and Old Norse máttulígr (“mighty, possible”). Compare also Dutch mogelijk (“possible”) and German möglich (“possible”).

Words formed from possible

Phrases with possible

Questions about possible

What does possible mean?: Possible means able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible.
What is possible in Hindi?: Possible in Hindi is संभव (sambhav), मुमकिन (mumkin). See Possible meaning in Hindi.
How do you use possible in a sentence?: Now she had come to look upon the matter in its true proportions, and her anticipation of a possible chance of teaching him a lesson was a pleasure to behold.
What part of speech is possible?: Possible can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce possible?: Possible is pronounced /ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/ (UK).

Words near possible in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Back ache-possible.wav, en-us-possible.ogg.

Cite this entry: “possible.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/possible. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.