stand a chance

Idioms

Have a possibility or a hope of success, as in Do you think Mary stands a chance of finishing the marathon? or I think we stand a fair chance of seeing the Queen arrive at Buckingham Palace. This idiom was first recorded in 1796. Also see not have an earthly chance.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

stand a chance

Opposing points of view don’t stand a chance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

In an AI era when attackers can jiggle every virtual doorknob continuously, human defenders don’t stand a chance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

Let’s take a closer look at the list to try to assess whether the demands actually stand a chance of making a material difference in how ICE uses—and abuses—its vast power over immigration enforcement.

From Slate ● Feb. 19, 2026

Yet they often have to achieve complete domination of their domestic leagues to even stand a chance of playing in the same competition as Europe's top clubs.

From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026

If this enemy was too powerful for Lupa, Camp Jupiter didn’t stand a chance.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023