fighting chance

American  

noun

1. a possibility of success following a struggle.

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fighting chance British  

noun

1. a slight chance of success dependent on a struggle

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fighting chance Idioms  

1. A possibility of winning, but only with a struggle. For example, It's going to be hard to beat that record, but I think he has a fighting chance. [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of fighting chance

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fighting chance

“We have always said that our presence next to a child in a courtroom is one of the only things that gives them a fighting chance at justice in our broken immigration system.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

The family of a teenage boy whose cancer returned days after he celebrated being cancer-free say a new clinical trial gives their son "a fighting chance".

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

And, he reckons, there is a fighting chance that his or another French company will be that winner.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

Maresca's men, back in the Champions League after two years away, have now won three of their first five games to give themselves a fighting chance of finishing in the top eight.

From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025

“But at least she has a fighting chance now. And you know what else, Stella?”

From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper