Skip to content

chance

/t͡ʃæns/ [t͡ʃʰæns]noun, verb, adjective1 syllable

Chance means: take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome.

Synonyms for chance30

noun, as in an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

noun, as in a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

noun, as in a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible

noun, as in the possibility of future success

verb, as in take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

gamble, risk, hazard, take chances, adventure, run a risk, take a chance

verb, as in come upon, as if by accident; meet with

adjective, as in occurring or appearing or singled out by chance

casual, unplanned

also used for chance

contingent, test, come across, deceive, occur, transpire, come on, come upon, stumble upon, fool, trick, come to pass

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does chance mean?9

verb

1

take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome“When you buy these stocks you are gambling”

2

come upon, as if by accident; meet with“We find this idea in Plato”

3

be the case by chance“I chanced to meet my old friend in the street”

noun

1

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another“bad luck caused his downfall”

2

a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances“the holiday gave us the opportunity to visit Washington”

3

a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible“the probability that an unbiased coin will fall with the head up is 0.5”

4

the possibility of future success“his prospects as a writer are excellent”

5

a risk involving danger“you take a chance when you let her drive”

adjective

1

occurring or appearing or singled out by chance“seek help from casual passers-by”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with chance?11

Show 40 near rhymes

Chance in a sentence

  • There's little chance of keeping slim, unless you stick to a diet.CM
  • Taking everything into consideration, they ought to be given another chance.CM
  • Should he be given another chance, he would do his best.AlanF_US
  • I'll eat my hat if, by some chance, my team loses to yours.CM
  • At last, a chance in a million arrived.unknown
  • That team has little, if any, chance of winning.CM
  • Through trial and error, he found the right answer by chance.unknown
  • Do you, by any chance, think you will succeed?CM

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of chance

as a noun

plural
chances

as a verb

past tense
chanced
past participle
chanced
present participle
chancing
third-person singular
chances