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

"We have a fighting chance to reduce plastics because it's very much a contemporary issue."

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

None of these are guaranteed to work but they will give you a fighting chance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

The 23-year-old's double in a 2-0 triumph against Portugal on Thursday night gave Heimir Hallgrimsson's side a fighting chance of qualifying for the World Cup through March's play-offs.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

The hope is the snake’s new, higher profile in California can give it a fighting chance at avoiding extinction.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2025

In the early history of our planet, however, when enormous amounts of organic molecules were being produced by sunlight in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, very simple, nonparasitic organisms had a fighting chance.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan