chance

[ chans, chahns ]

/ tʃæns, tʃɑns /

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 put-out or 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).

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.

Nearby words

champs-elysées, chan chan, chan., chanaan, chanc., chance, chance it, chance music, chance on, chance-medley, chanceful

Idioms

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.

Origin of chance

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French chance, cheance < Vulgar Latin *cadentia a befalling, happening; see cadenza

SYNONYMS FOR chance

2 accident, fortuity.

3 contingency.

4 opening.

11 befall. See happen.

13 casual, fortuitous.

ANTONYMS FOR chance

1 necessity.

Related formschance·less, adjectiveun·chanced, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for on the off 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 Formschanceful, 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

Word Origin and History for on the off chance (1 of 2)

chance

late 14c., "to come about, to happen," from chance (n.). Meaning "to risk" attested from 1859. Related: Chanced; chancing.

Word Origin and History for on the off chance (1 of 2)

chance

c.1300, "something that takes place, what happens, an occurrence" (good or bad, but more often bad), from Old French cheance "accident, chance, fortune, luck, situation, the falling of dice" (12c., Modern French chance), from Vulgar Latin *cadentia "that which falls out," a term used in dice, from neuter plural of Latin cadens, present participle of cadere "to fall" (see case (n.1)).

In English frequently in plural, chances. The word's notions of "opportunity" and "randomness" are as old as the record of it in English and now all but crowd out the word's original notion of "mere occurrence." Main chance "thing of most importance" is from 1570s, bearing the older sense. The mathematical (and hence odds-making) sense is attested from 1778. To stand a chance (or not) is from 1796.

To take (one's) chances "accept what happens" (early 14c.) is from the old, neutral sense; to take a chance/take chances is originally (by 1814) "participate in a raffle or lottery or game;" extended sense of "take a risk" is by 1826.

Idioms and Phrases with on the off chance (1 of 2)

on the off chance

see under on the chance that.

Idioms and Phrases with on the off chance (2 of 2)

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

.css-1gxch3{color:#1a1a1a;font-size:18px;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;}noun

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

adjective

Verb Phrases

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of chance

British Dictionary definitions for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} on the off chance

chance

noun

verb

Word Origin for chance

Word Origin and History for on the off chance (1 of 2)

chance

Word Origin and History for on the off chance (1 of 2)

chance

Idioms and Phrases with on the off chance (1 of 2)

on the off chance

Idioms and Phrases with on the off chance (2 of 2)

chance

noun

British Dictionary definitions for on the off chance