noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a chance/hope/possibility of escape
▪ The river offered our only hope of escape.
alert to the possibility
▪ The authorities should have been alert to the possibility of invasion.
an exciting possibility
▪ Penny allowed herself to consider the exciting possibility that Jack might be at the party.
an unlikely possibility/prospect
▪ The most unlikely possibility was that she might resign.
be within/beyond the bounds of possibility (=be possible/not possible)
▪ It was not beyond the bounds of possibility that they could meet again.
consider the possibility of (doing) sth
▪ Have you considered the possibility of retraining?
discounted the possibility of
▪ General Hausken had not discounted the possibility of an aerial attack.
discuss a possibility
▪ Government officials were seriously discussing the possibility of war.
dismiss a possibility
▪ The Prime Minister dismissed the possibility of an early election.
eliminate a need/possibility/risk/problem etc
▪ The credit card eliminates the need for cash or cheques.
▪ There is no solution that will totally eliminate the possibility of theft.
exclude the possibility
▪ At this stage we cannot entirely exclude the possibility of staff cuts.
exhausted...possibilities
▪ Having exhausted all other possibilities, I asked Jan to look after the baby.
explore the possibility of
▪ I’m going to explore the possibility of a part-time job.
lessen the risk/chance/possibility etc (of sth)
▪ Exercise lessens the risk of heart disease.
offer an opportunity/chance/possibility
▪ The course offers the opportunity to specialize in the final year.
possibilities...endless
▪ The possibilities are endless.
remote chance/possibility
▪ There’s a remote chance that you can catch him before he leaves.
rule out the possibility
▪ She has refused to rule out the possibility of singing again.
the risk/possibility of failure
▪ The risk of failure for a new product is very high.
▪ The possibility of failure was sufficiently high for the auditors to warn investors.
There is a distinct possibility that
▪ There is a distinct possibility that this will eventually be needed.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
distinct
▪ Further revaluations remain a distinct possibility, despite a slight weakening of Sterling.
▪ Diversification was still a distinct possibility, but there seemed to be more enthusiasm for concentrating on the propane market.
▪ And Juliet's theory was growing into a distinct possibility.
▪ He said there is a distinct possibility the Coyotes will use the ice at Veterans Memorial Coliseum this season.
▪ To Gould, though, Lear's enterprise had distinct possibilities.
▪ The Riemann sphere still describes the array of physically distinct possibilities, but now only abstractly.
▪ If it goes on for another 2 weeks, that is a distinct possibility.
▪ And there is a distinct possibility that the tax break might go primarily to people already giving.
new
▪ In the meantime, new issues were dominating the international agenda, with new possibilities for cooperation between and beyond governments.
▪ But soon they will be interactive, offering intriguing new possibilities.
▪ Accidents still occur, and indeed, are furthered by those investigating new possibilities.
▪ Suddenly new possibilities are springing to life where previously deadlock and despair held sway.
▪ Liquid acrylics can open up a whole new world of possibilities.
▪ It is this shift in perspective that is creating a wealth of new possibilities.
▪ With training and new work possibilities, I believe we will gradually be able to improve their situation.
▪ If you can solve them, an avalanche of new possibilities is set in motion.
other
▪ Until this very instant, no other possibility has occurred to her.
▪ The statistic most often used to measure within-group variability is the standard deviation, although there are other possibilities.
▪ If no ECMs existed what other possibilities would be available?
▪ The laser cannon had stopped firing. Other possibilities occurred to her.
▪ But Famlio didn't take long to see other possibilities, in the established traditional of what is ironically known as protection.
▪ Early weaning is only recommended if the baby is suffering quite badly and you have exhausted all other possibilities.
▪ There were other possibilities but for the moment these seemed the most plausible.
▪ However, there are other possibilities.
real
▪ And of course none of us were particularly exercised about death as a real possibility.
▪ Now the Raiders face the very real possibility of unraveling.
▪ But the existence of the railways made continued suburban development a real possibility.
▪ With Bobbie, unsound judgments were not a real possibility.
▪ Mutual respect is a real possibility in such activities.
▪ With all this brass flying overhead, conflicting orders were a real possibility.
▪ More recently, the threat of Quebec's secession confronted the country with the very real possibility of political breakup.
▪ Start looking It's much easier to check out real career change possibilities that are available locally first.
remote
▪ It had been a remote possibility, but it had existed.
▪ But that remote possibility, he knew, had already been examined and dismissed.
▪ On the other hand, there is just the remote possibility that some one will invent it tomorrow.
▪ Where this situation is a remote but real possibility escape or rescue sets should be stored for emergency use.
▪ The pipeline is no longer a remote possibility.
strong
▪ Great success at the Bar leads to a very considerable income and the strong possibility of a judgeship.
▪ Finally, there is the strong possibility that a contagion effect will operate in this setting.
▪ There is a strong possibility, however, that phantom pregnancies will recur at successive heats.
▪ There had been a strong possibility that the Newleys would have turned the security locks as well.
▪ I just say it is a strong possibility.
▪ There is also the strong possibility that family loyalty will prevail despite the abuse.
▪ It is certainly a possibility for many foreign quasi-governmental agencies, and it is an even stronger possibility for corporates.
▪ There is a strong possibility that trustees-guardians of individual savers' interests-will be required to bear more responsibility.
■ VERB
allow
▪ Thus all references to sets of conditions are to be understood as allowing for the possibility of one-member sets.
▪ Separation from the Goddess allows the possibility of immortal perfection.
▪ Government jobs and the opportunities which association with the government gives allow them the possibility of accumulating material goods.
▪ In this sense, the ideology allows for the possibility of an implicit, internalized dialectic.
▪ It would be unwise to allow even the possibility of criticism on a matter as important as adjudication.
▪ But having allowed these possibilities, Adorno does not accept the implications of his own gesture.
▪ Both allow for the possibility that speculators might be risk-averse.
consider
▪ This becomes clear when we consider the various extreme possibilities.
▪ Yet he must consider that possibility, for if it was true, he was in terrible danger.
▪ It is therefore important to consider the possibility of poor estimating when examining a claim.
▪ She does not seem to consider the possibility that they were not intended for burial at all.
▪ Their acquisition takes time, problems arise, children become puzzled, and they have to consider possibilities and alternatives.
▪ Manshin Anjima wrapped her braid slowly around her head and seemed to consider the possibility.
▪ She must have been mad to consider the possibility, especially after the emotional battering she had received from Giles.
▪ Now we would like to consider the possibility that some athletes literally suspend themselves in midair.
discount
▪ Does the Minister discount that possibility?
▪ Thompson discounted the possibility that Dole would give him the nod.
▪ We can discount the possibility that Fermat was lying: this was a personal note, for him alone to read.
▪ Nor can we discount the possibility that some factor in the diet itself has harmful effects.
discuss
▪ In this section, however, I want to discuss the rather different possibility that some changes are essentially random.
▪ We discussed the possibility of getting together again.
▪ You should only consider it at all if you believe your marriage can continue. Discuss the possibilities in full with your solicitor.
▪ He or she can discuss the possibilities and may have some good reasons for steering your child in a particular direction.
▪ Manager Coyle, understandably, refuses to discuss the possibility of a double triumph.
▪ But I held my temper, and asked if they could perhaps meet to discuss the possibility.
▪ It was now D-Day+33 as we discussed the possibility of an advance by the Brigade from these positions along the ridge.
▪ On Friday, the two presidents discussed the possibility of joint ventures to look for more energy resources within their borders.
eliminate
▪ This eliminates the possibility of the wrong person being updated, and enables the operator to see if any details are incorrect.
▪ More important, no changes are made in the system to eliminate the possibility of another pilot making the same error.
▪ The bi-word filter eliminated some possibilities but was not good enough to find a single interpretation.
▪ It eliminates all possibilities of revolts and ensures absolute obedience in everything.
▪ On visits to both bureaux, we felt that their working practices eliminate any reasonable possibility of this happening.
▪ That the practice of spiritual marriages can not with any certainty be traced back into the first century eliminates the third possibility.
▪ Prospective students tend to consider the multi-media scheme after eliminating other possibilities.
▪ Too early death, or severe infirmity, or excessive distance could eliminate any possibility of a significant relationship.
exclude
▪ We can not exclude the possibility, however, of abnormal metabolism of platelet activating factor in four of them.
▪ The second step is designed to exclude this possibility.
▪ For example although duration is commonly measured for tantrums, this does not exclude the possibility of measures of frequency.
▪ A special mention should be made of the use of novel forms of clauses designed to exclude any possibility of judicial review.
▪ Thus, for both of them the theory of forms excluded all possibility of evolution.
▪ However the courts are in general reluctant to exclude the possibility of such legal representation intoto within a particular area.
▪ The guidelines exclude the possibility of assessment of the bargain under the contract as described above.
▪ No description of such entities is so precise as to exclude apriori all possibility of an ambiguous reference.
exhaust
▪ Early weaning is only recommended if the baby is suffering quite badly and you have exhausted all other possibilities.
▪ Having exhausted all these possibilities, the ordering and challenging might become explicit.
▪ Have we therefore exhausted all possibilities of being clearer as to what we are talking about?
explore
▪ To explore this possibility subjects gave risk ratings for the stimuli after completing the main experiment.
▪ We need to articulate the feminine position and explore its possibilities.
▪ There is nothing wrong in seeking an invitation to go and look around a neighbouring school to explore possibilities of working together.
▪ Co. will explore the possibility of finding a purchaser for the station or spinning it off to Disney shareholders.
▪ The Staff Development Group is exploring the possibility of extending the observation and self-evaluation process to review and sustain these developments.
▪ Instead, it explores the possibilities of religion based on the body.
▪ However, opportunities still exist and the contacts listed here should help in exploring various possibilities.
▪ Once Mark knew he was leaving and exploring new possibilities, his back pain went away and his enthusiasm returned.
face
▪ It's so full of unhappy memories - and I don't want to face the possibility of bumping into Uncle Joe.
▪ For the first time in their careers, many of them faced the possibility of failure.
▪ He had not faced the possibility that Anna might die.
▪ Now the Raiders face the very real possibility of unraveling.
▪ Perhaps - in fact most certainly - it would be sensible to face the possibility.
▪ Both had faced the possibility of a death sentence.
▪ We did not know what the future might hold and had to face the possibility that we may not see each other again.
▪ And now it faces the possibility of having to play for an extended period without Hill.
investigate
▪ This project investigates the possibilities for economic development which were open to this group.
▪ Now, detectives are investigating the possibility that a fourth woman may have been slain by the retired Army sergeant.
▪ We must now investigate all possibilities for assisting women in need.
▪ Police are now investigating the possibility Spiro even slaughtered his family while high on drugs.
▪ These questions are then taken by each of the site groups and used to investigate new possibilities.
▪ Accidents still occur, and indeed, are furthered by those investigating new possibilities.
▪ This research aims to investigate the possibility of obtaining information for decision-makers that is more sensitive to people's health needs.
offer
▪ Discussion Impedance planimetry is a novel technique offering possibilities to characterise biomechanical properties invivo of the gut wall.
▪ But a higher-ranking Navy officer overruled the recommendations, sending the officer to an administrative hearing offering no possibility of jail.
▪ Just because the technology offers exciting possibilities, we can not assume that they will be realised.
▪ In general, integrated curricula offer possibilities that are impossible to create otherwise.
▪ In any kind of training a video camera offers the possibility of recording the trainees' performance.
▪ Going Upscale For lunch-goers with an expense account, two classic hotel restaurants offer lavish possibilities.
▪ They saw in it a narrative paradigm which offered the possibility of meaning in their individual experience to all men.
▪ Though it offers more sites and possibilities than any on-line service, it can be confusing, and the quality uneven.
open
▪ The Children Act could also open up much wider possibilities, affecting whole groups of travellers.
▪ It does not itself contain a preformed structure, but simply opens up possibilities.
▪ Three major initiatives have brought this about and have opened up possibilities for futher development in the years to come.
▪ This opens many possibilities for users.
▪ That leaves open the possibility, however, that some declarative sentences or statements are not factual and express something other than beliefs.
▪ Reading opens possibilities to become involved in history, biology, geography, and politics.
▪ Extensive use of the computer in project work opens up the further possibility of a computer-oriented career.
▪ The human genome project opens up the possibility of eliminating certain inherited, genetic diseases.
raise
▪ And beyond these individuals, it raises the possibility of a Republican Party, tolerant and moderate, for the modern age.
▪ This raises the possibility of an employee with a shareholding being allowed to enforce the section 309 duty derivatively.
▪ This raises the possibility that any effect of risk may operate only within individual junctions and not across all junctions.
▪ The issue has recently been raised by the possibility that many criminals show an anomaly in their chromosomes.
▪ All of which raises an intriguing possibility.
▪ These details and a few rough calculations raise an interesting possibility.
rule
▪ This rules out the possibility that autoantibodies are merely a consequence of hepatitis C virus infection.
▪ McCormick would not rule out the possibility of making a bid for the business.
▪ Police ruled out the possibility of sabotage.
▪ However, Bantle would not rule out the possibility that the mission could be cut short if the system is not repaired.
▪ It doesn't rule out the possibility of further guides covering other similar, but not identical, Unix implementations.
▪ Expenses will be kept in line, he said, not ruling out the possibility of minor layoffs.
▪ Detectives still haven't ruled out the possibility that she was abducted.
▪ In any event, we have already ruled out such a possibility.
suggest
▪ The strong association between antral tumours and chronic active gastritis suggests the possibility that H pylori infection may have a pathogenic role.
▪ From the outside, maybe it suggested the possibility of drama and romance.
▪ The following might be suggested as possibilities for the purpose of illustration.
▪ The comments were taken as suggesting the possibility that the Fed has room to ease credit further.
▪ Moscovici's formula that the new social psychology should be both anthropological and historical seems to suggest both possibilities.
▪ But it does suggest certain possibilities.
▪ The position of Captain's companion had been offered to at least four people before Henslow suggested Darwin as a possibility.
▪ Reducing the resistance we encounter from objects, it suggests the possibility of unlimited success against them.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a faint hope/possibility/chance etc
▪ I thought about letting it ring, but there was a faint hope that it might be Sally.
▪ If it can startle the predator in some way, there is a faint chance that the enemy may panic and flee.
▪ That uncertainty urges us to look beyond the present, with a faint hope to control our future.
▪ There remained a faint possibility that Newley would try to identify the person who collected the money.
be alive to a fact/possibility/danger etc
within the realms of possibility
▪ It was actually within the realms of possibility.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ A Republican victory in next month's elections now seems to be a real possibility.
▪ Computers have opened up many exciting possibilities.
▪ One possibility is to offer him more money.
▪ The possibilities for improvement are endless.
▪ There's a distinct possibility that there will be another earthquake.
▪ There is still a faint possibility that Sarah will be found safe and well.
▪ Unless there is some change in the economy, there is a possibility that the plant may close.
▪ We are considering the possibility of providing a new class for advanced students.
▪ We could not ignore the possibility of an enemy attack.
▪ We need to investigate all possibilities for helping these children.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Care must be taken to ensure that the possibility of a sale is not disclosed to the client's staff.
▪ Howard by his belief in original sin, guilt and the possibility of awakening man's consciousness of sin.
▪ I just listened, there was absolutely no possibility of influencing her.
▪ Instrument flight means the possibility of flying in all weather conditions.
▪ It is interesting to reflect upon the possibility that a meteorite-sized chunk of cometary material might survive its fall to Earth.
▪ There was no possibility now that she could capsize: built with positive buoyancy, she was incapable of sinking.
▪ Voice input and output offer possibilities which are only beginning to be explored.
▪ We know this individual pulled the trigger, but there are several possibilities as to who was actually responsible.