chance

[chans, chahns]

noun

1. 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.

   Antonyms: necessity

2. luck or fortune.

   a game of chance.

   Synonyms: fortuity, accident

3. a possibility or probability of anything happening.

   a fifty-percent chance of success.

   Synonyms: contingency

4. an opportune or favorable time; opportunity.

   Now is your chance.

   Synonyms: opening

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

6. a risk or hazard.

   Take a chance.

7. a share or ticket in a lottery or prize drawing.

   The charity is selling chances for a dollar each.

8. chances, probability.

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

9. Midland and Southern U.S.,  a quantity or number (usually followed byof ).

   a fine chance of tomatoes, harvested fresh from the garden today.

10. Archaic.,  an unfortunate event; mishap.

verb (used without object)

chanced, chancing 

1. to happen or occur by chance.

   It chanced that our arrivals coincided.

   Synonyms: befall

verb (used with object)

chanced, chancing 

1. to take the chances or risks of; risk (often followed by impersonalit ).

   I'll have to chance it, whatever the outcome.

adjective

1. not planned or expected; accidental.

   a chance occurrence.

   Synonyms: fortuitous, casual

verb phrase

1. chance on / upon,  to come upon by chance; meet unexpectedly.

   She chanced on a rare kind of mushroom during her walk through the woods.

chance

/ tʃɑːns /

noun

1. 1. the unknown and unpredictable element that causes an event to result in a certain way rather than another, spoken of as a real force

   2. ( as modifier )

      a chance meeting

2. fortune; luck; fate

3. an opportunity or occasion

4. a risk; gamble

   you take a chance with his driving

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

6. an unpredicted event, esp a fortunate one

   that was quite a chance, finding him here

7. archaic,  an unlucky event; mishap

8. 1. accidentally

      he slipped by chance

   2. perhaps

      do you by chance have a room?

9. it is likely (that) …

10. acting on the possibility; in case

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

verb

1. (tr) to risk; hazard

   I'll chance the worst happening

2. to happen by chance; be the case by chance

   I chanced to catch sight of her as she passed

3. to come upon by accident

   he chanced on the solution to his problem

4. to attempt to do something although the chance of success may be slight

Other Word Forms

• chanceless adjective
• unchanced adjective
• chanceful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chance¹

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”; cadenza

Word History and Origins

Origin of chance¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. 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.

2. on the chance, in the mild hope or against the possibility.

   I'll wait on the chance that she'll come.

3. by chance, without plan or intent; accidentally.

   I met her again by chance in a department store in Paris.

More idioms and phrases containing chance

• Chinaman's chance
• by 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

Synonym Study

See happen.

Example Sentences

U.S. money markets currently price around an 80% chance of a rate reduction.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Illness is predicted to spread faster, infect more people and put higher-risk groups at greater chance of being seriously ill or hospitalized.

Read more on Salon

"A chance to come to the stadium and pull the jersey on, I'm never not going to be happy about that. Everyone in the squad feels the same."

Read more on Barron's

"But I still fill up whenever I get the chance because I'm still not very reassured."

Read more on Barron's

“The risk/reward is too one-sided and there’s a good chance buyers may be able to pick up the stock in more favorable conditions.”

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• break 
• likelihood 
• odds 
• opportunity 
• outlook 
• prospect 
• shot 
• time