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

"I didn't stand a chance at all," he said, adding that the nans were "fuming" at first, but the situation quickly softened.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Opposing points of view don’t stand a chance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

"To show people that if they take action and publicly voice their opposition, they actually stand a chance" of winning.

From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 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

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