Meaning of possible in English

possible

adjective

/ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/ us

/ˈpɑː.sə.bəl/

possible adjective (CAN ACHIEVE)

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able to be done or achieved, or able to exist:

I can't get it all done by Friday - it's just not possible.

Is it possible to buy tickets in advance?

They got as far as was humanly possible (= as far as anyone could have) before turning back.

Opposite

impossible

as much, quickly, soon, etc. as possible

as much, quickly, soon, etc. as something can happen or be done:

Please take your seats as quickly as possible.

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I have tried to keep my translation as faithful as possible to the original book.
The judge made an example of him and gave him the maximum possible sentence.
Rescuers are doing everything that is humanly possible to free the trapped people.
If atmospheric conditions are right, it may be possible to see this group of stars tonight.
With today's technology almost anything seems possible.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Achievable

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possible adjective (NOT CERTAIN)

B1 [ + (that) ]

that might or might not happen:

It's possible (that) Mira might turn up tonight.

"Do you think he'll end up in prison?" "It's very possible."

That's one possible solution to the problem.

Compare

probable

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

that might or might not happen

possibleI suppose it's possible that she just forgot my birthday, but it's unlikely.
potentialShe is being mentioned as a potential successor to the leader.
imaginableThe pens came in every colour imaginable.
conceivableIt is conceivable that they'll agree to our terms, but I wouldn't bet on it.
thinkableThe existence of something like the internet would not have even been thinkable in Einstein's day.

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It's just possible that we might be going away that weekend.
She's researching into possible cures for AIDS.
Here is a list of possible answers. Please delete as appropriate.
This is one possible solution to the problem. However, there are others.
Investigators have studied the possible effects of contamination.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Possible and probable

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Idiom

anything's possible

(Definition of possible from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

possible | American Dictionary

possible

adjective [ not gradable ]

/ˈpɑs·ə·bəl/

possible adjective [not gradable] (ACHIEVABLE)

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that can be done or achieved, or that can exist:

[ + to infinitive ] Is it possible to get an earlier flight?

If possible I’d like to get there before noon.

We need to send that letter off as soon as possible.

possible adjective [not gradable] (NOT CERTAIN)

that might or might not happen or exist:

[ + (that) clause ] It’s possible (that) Mary will turn up tonight.

(Definition of possible from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of possible

possible

Persisting resolve amid exigent constraints kindles the unfolding of uplifting possibles.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

There is always a field of two or three possibles.

From the

Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

Percentages shown indicate the proportion of all possible quartets that fall in each region of the triangle.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

We apply this procedure until no longer possible, transitively closing the states and edges.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

If possible, one should instead resort to other proof principles that do not need admissibility.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The type determines the possible modes, and both determine which operations are applicable to this object, and both were indicated by the object's icon.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

If so, what institutional arrangement made it possible?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

There are more possible effects if we are working on a galactic scale.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

We should discuss the possible interpretation and the equipment that could test biogenicity of such sulphur compounds.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

However, the rate of decline and its possible age dependency have not been established.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Asymptomatic infection of controls is possible and may be common.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

However, there has been recent progress in this field, and such a definition may become possible in the near future.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Therefore, a knowledge as accurate as possible of the radiative transfer inside disks is a prerequisite for their modelling.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Possible reinfections and associated booster effects may also lead to higher titres in older animals.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

We continue to investigate possible methods for diapers to pierce through the convective stagnant lid and extrude onto the surface.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

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