chance

[ chans, chahns ]

/ tʃæns, tʃɑns /

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See synonyms for: chance / chances on Thesaurus.com

noun

the absence of any cause of events that can be predicted, understood, or controlled: often personified or treated as a positive agency: Chance governs all.

luck or fortune: a game of chance.

a possibility or probability of anything happening: a fifty-percent chance of success.

an opportune or favorable time; opportunity: Now is your chance.

Baseball. an opportunity to field the ball and make a putout or an assist.

a risk or hazard: Take a chance.

a share or ticket in a lottery or prize drawing: The charity is selling chances for a dollar each.

chances, probability: The chances are that the train hasn't left yet.

Midland and Southern U.S. a quantity or number (usually followed by of): a fine chance of tomatoes, harvested fresh from the garden today.

Archaic. an unfortunate event; mishap.

verb (used without object), chanced, chanc·ing.

to happen or occur by chance: It chanced that our arrivals coincided.

verb (used with object), chanced, chanc·ing.

to take the chances or risks of; risk (often followed by impersonal it): I'll have to chance it, whatever the outcome.

adjective

not planned or expected; accidental: a chance occurrence.

Verb Phrases

chance on / upon to come upon by chance; meet unexpectedly: She chanced on a rare kind of mushroom during her walk through the woods.

OTHER WORDS FOR chance

2 accident, fortuity.

3 contingency.

4 opening.

11 befall.

13 casual, fortuitous.

See synonyms for chance on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR chance

1 necessity.

See antonyms for chance on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about chance

by chance, without plan or intent; accidentally: I met her again by chance in a department store in Paris.

on the chance, in the mild hope or against the possibility: I'll wait on the chance that she'll come.

on the off chance, in the very slight hope or against the very slight possibility: I’m free Friday, on the off chance that you end up with a spare ticket to the concert.

Origin of chance

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English chaunce, chance, chea(u)nce, from Old French chance, cheance from unattested Vulgar Latin cadentia “a befalling, happening”; see cadenza

synonym study for chance

11. See happen.

OTHER WORDS FROM chance

chance·less, adjectiveun·chanced, adjective

Words nearby chance

Champollion, Champs Élysées, Ch'an, Chanaan, chanc., chance, chanceful, chance it, chancel, chancellery, chancellor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chance in a sentence

Few of those who say they are “probably” going to vote for one candidate say there is a “chance” they would vote for the other candidate, suggesting that some of these “swing” voters may not vote on Election Day, the pollsters said.
Election live updates: Trump returns to Wisconsin; Biden to face live audience at town hall|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
In Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court voted on a strict party line, with the court’s two Republicans partially dissenting, writing in a separate opinion that the Green Party ticket should have been given a chance to fix its paperwork.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court strikes Green Party presidential ticket from ballot, clearing the way for mail ballots to be sent out|Amy Gardner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
The news was bleak—Paul would need a kidney transplant if he had any chance of living a long life.
A Welcome Lifeline|Washington Regional Transplant Community|September 17, 2020|Washington Blade
Clearly, some state polls missed the mark in 2016, leading forecasts to assume he had less of a chance of winning than he did.
If voters are wary of stating support for Trump in polls, why does he outperform GOP Senate candidates?|Philip Bump|September 16, 2020|Washington Post

When the NHL playoffs began, the bookmakers didn’t give the Dallas Stars much of a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
Teams Don’t Win The Stanley Cup With A Goal Deficit. Can The Dallas Stars Change That?|Terrence Doyle|September 16, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
With chemotherapy, her doctors give her at least an 80 percent chance of survival.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?|Brandy Zadrozny|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
At the moment, the only chance I get is when I go do Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Is there any chance the potential 2016 hopeful will stand up to the right and embrace paid sick leave?
Christie Blames Parents for Bad Economy|Monica Potts|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Do those things," he said, "and you'll have half a chance of being successful.
Streetwear pioneer, visionary entrepreneur, and community mentor Daymond John is honored with Hennessy Privilege Award|Hennessy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Heinold's First and Last Chance, Oakland (Jack London, Taft) You can thank Johnny Heinold for your favorite Jack London book.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you throw away this chance, you will both richly deserve to be hanged, as I sincerely trust you will be.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
Instead of giving you a chance to say, "He has made a mistake," he forced you to say, "He has shown how to get out of a mistake."
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Few of us there are who would not gladly read and speak several more languages if we had the chance of doing so.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
In running over many words, the intellect might be arrested by chance.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
But it was my only chance then; or rather I had seen enough of business to avoid making mistakes when I could.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for chance

chance

/ (tʃɑːns) /

noun

the unknown and unpredictable element that causes an event to result in a certain way rather than another, spoken of as a real force
(as modifier)a chance meeting Related adjective: fortuitous

fortune; luck; fate

an opportunity or occasion

a risk; gambleyou take a chance with his driving

the extent to which an event is likely to occur; probability

an unpredicted event, esp a fortunate onethat was quite a chance, finding him here

archaic an unlucky event; mishap

by chance

accidentallyhe slipped by chance
perhapsdo you by chance have a room?

chances are… or the chances are… it is likely (that) …

on the chance acting on the possibility; in case

the main chance the opportunity for personal gain (esp in the phrase an eye to the main chance)

verb

(tr) to risk; hazardI'll chance the worst happening

to happen by chance; be the case by chanceI chanced to catch sight of her as she passed

chance on or chance upon to come upon by accidenthe chanced on the solution to his problem

chance one's arm to attempt to do something although the chance of success may be slight

Derived forms of chance

chanceful, adjectivechanceless, adjective

Word Origin for chance

C13: from Old French cheance, from cheoir to fall, occur, from Latin cadere

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with chance

chance

In addition to the idioms beginning with chance

chance it
chance on

also see:

by chance
Chinaman's chance
eye to the main chance
fat chance
fighting chance
jump at (the chance)
not have an earthly chance
on the (off) chance
snowball's chance in hell
sporting chance
stand a chance
take a chance
take one's chances

chance

OTHER WORDS FOR chance

OPPOSITES FOR chance

Idioms about chance

Origin of chance

synonym study for chance

OTHER WORDS FROM chance

Words nearby chance

Words related to chance

How to use chance in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chance

Derived forms of chance

Word Origin for chance

Other Idioms and Phrases with chance