conditional probability
noun
: the probability that a given event will occur if it is certain that another event has taken place or will take place
Examples of conditional probability in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His lasting contribution came posthumously, in a Royal Society paper on conditional probability.
—
Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Fraud Detection As mentioned earlier, conditional probability allows firms to update risk assessments in real-time.
—Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Thus was born, in these villages, the idea of conditional probabilities and, with it, the practice of conditional love.
—Weike Wang, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024
The prosecutor’s fallacy emerges constantly in problems of conditional probability, leading us sirenlike towards precisely the wrong conclusions—and undetected, sends innocent people to jail.
—David Robert Grimes, Scientific American, 8 Dec. 2023
The Goldman team sees a 30% probability of entering a recession over the next year, up from 15% previously, and a 25% conditional probability of entering a recession in the second year if one is avoided in the first.
—Enda Curran, Fortune, 21 June 2022
Each term in the Drake equation sets the conditional probability of the term that comes after.
—Corey S. Powell, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2021
To calculate the probability of the outcome resulting from any particular branch (a conditional probability), the probabilities of the sequence of events are multiplied.
—New York Times, 13 May 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Fraud Detection As mentioned earlier, conditional probability allows firms to update risk assessments in real-time.
—Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Thus was born, in these villages, the idea of conditional probabilities and, with it, the practice of conditional love.
—Weike Wang, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024
The prosecutor’s fallacy emerges constantly in problems of conditional probability, leading us sirenlike towards precisely the wrong conclusions—and undetected, sends innocent people to jail.
—David Robert Grimes, Scientific American, 8 Dec. 2023
The Goldman team sees a 30% probability of entering a recession over the next year, up from 15% previously, and a 25% conditional probability of entering a recession in the second year if one is avoided in the first.
—Enda Curran, Fortune, 21 June 2022
Each term in the Drake equation sets the conditional probability of the term that comes after.
—Corey S. Powell, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2021
To calculate the probability of the outcome resulting from any particular branch (a conditional probability), the probabilities of the sequence of events are multiplied.
—New York Times, 13 May 2020
Cite this Entry
“Conditional probability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conditional%20probability. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share