Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense chances, present participle chancing, past tense, past participle chanced
1. variable noun [NOUN that]
If there is a chanceof something happening, it is possible that it will happen.
Do you think they have a chance of beating Australia? [+ of]
This partnership has a good chance of success. [+ of]
The specialist who carried out the brain scan thought Tim's chances of survival werestill slim. [+ of]
There was really very little chance that Ben would ever have led a normal life.
Synonyms: probability, odds, possibility, prospect More Synonyms of chance
2. countable noun [usually NOUN to-infinitive]
If you have a chanceto do something, you have the opportunity to do it.
The electoral council announced that all eligible people would get a chance to vote.
I felt I had to give him a chance.
[Also + for]
Synonyms: opportunity, opening, occasion, time More Synonyms of chance
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
A chance meeting or event is one that is not planned or expected.
...a chance meeting.
Chance is also a noun.
...a victim of chance and circumstance.
4. verb
If you chanceto do something or chanceon something, you do it or find it although you had not planned or tried to.
[formal]
A man I chanced to meet proved to be a most unusual character. [VERB to-infinitive]
It was just then that I chanced to look round. [VERB to-infinitive]
They once holidayed in Rome and chanced upon a bar called The Seamus Heaney. [V + upon/on/across]
Synonyms: happen More Synonyms of chance
5. verb
If you chance something, you do it even though there is a risk that you may not succeed or that something bad may happen.
Andy knew the risks. I cannot believe he would have chanced it. [VERBit]
He decided no assassin would chance a shot from amongst that crowd. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: risk, try, stake, venture More Synonyms of chance
6. See also off-chance
7.
See by chance
8.
See by any chance
9.
See to stand a chance
10.
See take a chance
More Synonyms of chance
chance in British English
(tʃɑːns)
noun
1.
a.
the unknown and unpredictable element that causes an event to result in a certain way rather than another, spoken of as a real force
b.
(as modifier)
a chance meeting
▶ Related adjective: fortuitous
2.
fortune; luck; fate
3.
an opportunity or occasion
4.
a risk; gamble
you take a chance buying a used car
5.
the extent to which an event is likely to occur; probability
6.
an unpredicted event, esp a fortunate one
that was quite a chance, finding them here
7. archaic
an unlucky event; mishap
8. by chance
9. chances are…
10. on the chance
11. the main chance
verb
12. (transitive)
to risk; hazard
I'll chance the worst happening
13.
to happen by chance; be the case by chance
I chanced to catch sight of her as she passed
14. chance on
15. chance one's arm
Derived forms
chanceful (ˈchanceful)
adjective
chanceless (ˈchanceless)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old French cheance, from cheoir to fall, occur, from Latin cadere
chance in American English
(tʃæns; tʃɑns)
noun
1.
the happening of events without apparent cause, or the apparent absence of cause or design; fortuity; luck
to leave things to chance
2.
an unpredictable event or accidental happening
3.
a risk or gamble
4.
a ticket in a lottery or raffle
5.
an advantageous or opportune time or occasion; opportunity
you'll have a chance to go
6. [often pl.]
a possibility or probability
there is little chance of success; what are their chances of winning?
7. Archaic
a mishap; mischance
8. US, Baseball
an opportunity to field a ball on which a fielder is credited with a putout or assist, or charged with an error
adjective
9.
happening by chance; accidental
a chance encounter
verb intransitiveWord forms: chanced or ˈchancing
10.
to have the fortune, good or bad
I chanced to see them
11.
to happen by chance
verb transitive
12.
to leave to chance; risk
let's chance it
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈhappen, ˈrandom
Idioms:
by chance
chance on
(the) chances are
on the (off) chance
take one's chances
Word origin
ME chaunce < OFr cheance < VL cadentia, that which falls out < L cadens, prp. of cadere, to fall: see case1
More idioms containing
chance
have an eye for the main chance
not a snowball's chance in hell
chance would be a fine thing
chance your arm
the last chance saloon for someone
a chance in a million
COBUILD Collocations
chance
deserve a chance
fair chance
fantastic chance
final chance
golden chance
great chance
increase the chance of
medal chance
only chance
rare chance
reduce the chance
relish the chance
seize a chance
the best possible chance
Examples of 'chance' in a sentence
chance
But we have a good chance of winning anywhere.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
People need to be given a fair chance to understand what they are buying.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
What were the chances of that happening without a huge helping hand from the production team?
The Sun (2014)
You may not get a second chance.
Turner, Janine Behind Closed Doors - advice for families with violence in the home (1988)
You may chance upon some information that you can use to your advantage.
The Sun (2015)
You want to take your chance and opportunity.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Very few people get a chance to do it.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Most likely that any chance of a normal life was over.
The Sun (2010)
So roll the dice again and give yourself the best possible chance of hitting the jackpot.
The Sun (2015)
It was a bad chance he missed.
The Sun (2012)
Then he damaged his shoulder so badly that specialists gave him little chance of riding again.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He will improve a lot and deserves to take his chance.
The Sun (2014)
What sort of risks or chances have you taken in your lifetime?
Christianity Today (2000)
Who knows what would have happened had the chance been taken?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We conceded only one chance and would have been very unlucky if they had scored.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
This was a chance to find out.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But the film came about thanks to a chance encounter.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They have had the chance to do something about a new deal.
The Sun (2011)
The effects of this are profoundly damaging to the life chances of the next generation.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
What were the chances of that happening?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Each participant gets a chance to take the helm.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
What seems like a chance meeting with a friend from the past will have a lucky outcome for the whole family.
The Sun (2009)
Of course that victory happened in changeable conditions and there is a good chance of further rain during the race today.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
In other languages
chance
British English: chance /tʃɑːns/ NOUN
If there is a chance of something happening, it is possible that it will happen.
His chances of winning are slim.
American English: chance
Arabic: فُرْصَة
Brazilian Portuguese: chance
Chinese: 机会
Croatian: šansa
Czech: šance
Danish: chance
Dutch: kans
European Spanish: posibilidad
Finnish: tilaisuus mahdollisuus
French: hasard
German: Wahrscheinlichkeit
Greek: πιθανότητα
Italian: possibilità
Japanese: 見込み
Korean: 기회
Norwegian: sjanse
Polish: szansa
European Portuguese: oportunidade
Romanian: șansă
Russian: возможность
Latin American Spanish: oportunidad
Swedish: chans
Thai: โอกาส
Turkish: şans
Ukrainian: шанс
Vietnamese: cơ hội
British English: chance ADJECTIVE
A chance meeting or event is one that is not planned or expected.
...a chance meeting.
American English: chance
Brazilian Portuguese: fortuito
Chinese: 偶然的
European Spanish: casual
French: fortuit
German: zufällig
Italian: fortuito
Japanese: 偶然の
Korean: 우연한
European Portuguese: fortuito
Latin American Spanish: casual
All related terms of 'chance'
by chance
Something that happens by chance was not planned by anyone.
chance on
to come upon by accident
fair chance
If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it.
fat chance
If you say that there is fat chance of something happening , you mean that you do not believe that it will happen .
main chance, the
one's own advantage or self-interest
off chance
a slight possibility
only chance
If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it.
rare chance
If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it.
bonne chance
good luck
chance-medley
a sudden quarrel in which one party kills another; unintentional but not blameless killing
final chance
If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it.
golden chance
If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it.
great chance
If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it.
medal chance
If there is a chance of something happening , it is possible that it will happen .
treble chance
a method of betting in football pools in which the chances of winning are related to the number of draws and the number of home and away wins forecast by the competitor
a fat chance
very little or no chance
fighting chance
a slight chance of success dependent on a struggle
outside chance
a slight chance or likelihood
sporting chance
a fair or even chance
a dog's chance
no chance at all
Buckley's chance
no chance at all
by any chance
You can use by any chance when you are asking questions in order to find out whether something that you think might be true is actually true.
fantastic chance
If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it.
game of chance
a game in which the outcome is determined by chance rather than by the skill of its players, as roulette
on the chance
acting on the possibility ; in case
seize a chance
If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it.
stand a chance
to have a hope or likelihood of winning , succeeding , etc
take a chance
When you take a chance , you try to do something although there is a large risk of danger or failure .
a fighting chance
If you have a fighting chance of doing or achieving something, it is possible that you will do or achieve it, but only if you make a great effort or are very lucky .
a sporting chance
If you have a sporting chance of doing something, it is quite likely that you will do that thing.
chance one's arm
to attempt to do something although the chance of success may be slight
chance your arm
to do something risky or adventurous in order to get something you want
deserve a chance
If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it.
last chance saloon
a place frequented by unsavoury or contemptible people
reduce the chance
If there is a chance of something happening , it is possible that it will happen .
relish the chance
If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it.
the main chance
the opportunity for personal gain (esp in the phrase an eye to the main chance )
on the off chance
If you do something on the off-chance , you do it because you hope that it will succeed, although you think that this is unlikely.
to stand a chance
If you say that someone stands a chance of achieving something, you mean that they are likely to achieve it. If you say that someone doesn't stand a chance of achieving something, you mean that they cannot possibly achieve it.
a ghost of a chance
If someone does not stand or does not have a ghost of a chance of doing something, they have very little chance of succeeding in it.
a chance in a million
something that is very unlikely to happen
increase the chance of
If there is a chance of something happening , it is possible that it will happen .
the best possible chance
If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it.
not a cat in hell's chance
no chance at all
chance would be a fine thing
said to mean that something that you would like to happen is very unlikely
have an eye for the main chance
to be aware all the time of the best opportunities that are available
not a snowball's chance in hell
no chance at all of something happening
the last chance saloon for someone
the final opportunity for someone to succeed in what they are doing