chance

[ chans, chahns ]

/ tʃæns, tʃɑns /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR chance ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Idioms for chance

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.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR chance ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR chance

1 necessity.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR chance ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM chance

chance·less, adjective un·chanced, adjective

Words nearby chance

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

British Dictionary definitions for by 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; gamble you take a chance with his driving

the extent to which an event is likely to occur; probability

an unpredicted event, esp a fortunate one that 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; hazard I'll chance the worst happening

to happen by chance; be the case by chance I chanced to catch sight of her as she passed

chance on or chance upon to come upon by accident he 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 forms of chance

chanceful, adjective chanceless, adjective

Word Origin for chance

C13: from Old French cheance, from cheoir to fall, occur, from Latin cadere

Idioms and Phrases with by chance (1 of 2)

by chance

Casually, accidentally, as in I ran into Bill purely by chance. [c. 1300] Also see by coincidence.

Idioms and Phrases with by 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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

chance

noun

verb (used without object), chanced, chanc·ing.

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

adjective

Verb Phrases

Idioms for chance

Origin of chance

SYNONYMS FOR chance

ANTONYMS FOR chance

OTHER WORDS FROM chance

Words nearby chance

British Dictionary definitions for by chance

noun

verb

Derived forms of chance

Word Origin for chance

Idioms and Phrases with by chance (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with by chance (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

chance

noun

verb (used without object), chanced, chanc·ing.

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

adjective

Verb Phrases

Idioms for chance

Origin of chance

SYNONYMS FOR chance

ANTONYMS FOR chance

OTHER WORDS FROM chance

Words nearby chance

Words related to by chance

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for by chance

noun

verb

Derived forms of chance

Word Origin for chance

Idioms and Phrases with by chance (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with by chance (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for by chance