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# propensity

«propensity» in Mova's school dictionary: **A natural habit of behaving in a certain way, a tendency:…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a propensity, propensities) — formal

### meaning for a pupil

(formal) A natural habit of behaving in a certain way, a tendency: «a propensity to tell jokes», «a propensity for getting lost». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/propensity/#m1)

### sense in the lessons

In stories and reports it describes someone's typical behaviour; in science it can describe how likely something is to happen. Phrases: «a propensity to», «a propensity for».

### examples

- My dog has a propensity to chew socks. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/propensity/#x1)
- She has a propensity for getting into trouble. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/propensity/#x2)
- Some metals have a propensity to rust. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/propensity/#x3)
- His propensity to exaggerate made people doubt him. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/propensity/#x4)
- Cats have a propensity for sleeping in sunny spots. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/propensity/#x5)
- This rope has a propensity to tangle. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/propensity/#x6)

### note

Countable: propensity, propensities. Use «a propensity to + verb» or «a propensity for + noun/-ing». Formal; simpler: «tendency», «habit». Not the same as «property» or «prosperity».

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «propensity» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/propensity/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.