Potential | Mean of potential in English Dictionary

/pəˈtɛnʃəl/

• capable of becoming real
1. Doctors are excited about the new drug's potential benefits.
2. Critics say the factory poses a potential threat to the environment.
3. the school's potential growth
4. He is a potential candidate for president.
5. The project has potential risks/advantages.
• Noun
• a chance or possibility that something will happen or exist in the future
1. Wet roads increase the potential for an accident. [=make an accident more likely to happen]
2. If you study hard, there is a greater potential for success.
• a quality that something has that can be developed to make it better
1. Scientists are exploring the potentials of the new drug.
2. The stock's earning potential is high. [=the stock is likely to earn a lot of money]
3. The new technology has the potential to transform the industry.
4. There is potential in the new technology, but it will be a long time before it can actually be used.
5. The company has a lot of potential for future growth.

• an ability that someone has that can be developed to help that person become successful
1. The team's newest player shows great potential. [=promise]
2. He has the potential to be one of the team's best players.
3. She has leadership potential. [=she could become a successful leader]
4. He shows enormous potential as an athlete.
5. The school tries to help students reach/realize their full potential. [=to become the best they can be]
• the amount of work that is required to move a quantity of electricity from one point on a circuit to another
1. The instrument is used to measure the changing electrical potentials.