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law of averages
noun
- a statistical principle formulated by Jakob Bernoulli to show a more or less predictable ratio between the number of random trials of an event and its occurrences.
- Informal. the principle that, in the long run, probability as naively conceived will operate and influence any one occurrence.
law of averages
noun
- (popularly) the expectation that a possible event is bound to occur regularly with a frequency approximating to its probability, as in the (actually false) example Compare law of large numbers
after five heads in a row the law of averages makes tails the better bet
Idioms and Phrases
The idea that probability will influence all occurrences in the long term, that one will neither win nor lose all of the time. For example, If it rains every day this week, by the law of averages we're bound to get a sunny day soon . This colloquial term is a popular interpretation of a statistical principle, Bernoulli's theorem, formulated in the late 1600s.Example Sentences
I went with the law of averages when I picked a Newcastle home victory last week, so hopefully the same method will work again with Chelsea this time.
“But over time, the law of averages plays out. You get what you deserve. The hockey gods know that.”
Still, the law of averages would suggest that, after jumping from 60 points one year to 100 to the next without a ton of significant additions, Seattle might drop off.
Again, the laws of averages say there should be an upswing.
“It’s been a little bit tougher for me this year. Hopefully the law of averages says it’s going to get a little better.”
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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