Meaning of chance in English

chance

noun

uk/tʃɑːns/ us/tʃæns/

chance noun (OPPORTUNITY)

B1 [ C ]

an occasion that allows something to be done:

get a chance I didn't get a chance to speak to her.

have a chance If you have a chance, try the steak.

give someone a chance He's a very smart kid and just needs someone to give him a chance.

[ + to infinitive ] If you give me a chance to speak, I'll explain.

He wanted to change, but he was never given the chance.

second chance Society has to give prisoners a second chance when they come out of jail.

miss your chance He left and I missed my chance to say goodbye to him.

given half a chance I'd go now given half a chance (= if I had the slightest opportunity).

Synonym

opportunity

chance noun (POSSIBILITY)

B1 [ S or plural ]

the level of possibility that something will happen:

You'd have a better chance/more chance of passing your exams if you worked a bit harder.

a good chance There's a good chance (that) I'll have this essay finished by tomorrow.

slim chance There's a slim chance (that) I might have to go to Manchester next week.

an outside chance If we hurry, there's still an outside (= very small) chance of catching the plane.

not a chance "Is there any chance of speaking to him?" "Not a chance, I'm afraid."

stand a chance I don't think I stand a chance of winning.

in with a chance UK John thinks they're in with a chance (= they have a possibility of doing or getting what they want).

chances of Her resignation has improved my chances of promotion.

What are her chances of survival?

[ + that ] What are the chances that they'll win?

Synonym

likelihood

chance noun (RISK)

B2 [ C ]

a possibility that something negative will happen:

take a chance I'm delivering my work by hand - I'm not taking any chances.

chance of There's a chance of injury in almost any sport.

Synonym

risk

chance noun (LUCK)

B1 [ U ]

the force that causes things to happen without any known cause or reason for doing so:

Roulette is a game of chance.

by chance I got this job completely by chance.

[ + (that) ] It was pure chance (that) we met.

leave nothing to chance We must double-check everything and leave nothing to chance.

by any chance

used to ask a question or request in a polite way:

Are you Hungarian, by any chance?

Idioms

chance would be a fine thing

(the) chances are

not give much for someone's chances

chance

verb

uk/tʃɑːns/ us/tʃæns/

chance verb (RISK)

[ T ]

to risk something:

You'd be a fool to chance your life savings on a single investment.

chance verb (LUCK)

[ I ] old-fashioned or literary

to happen or do something by chance:

[ + to infinitive ] They chanced to be in the restaurant when I arrived.

chance on I chanced on (= found unexpectedly) some old love letters in a drawer.

chance upon Ten years after leaving school, we chanced upon (= unexpectedly met) each other in Regent Street.

Idiom

chance your arm

chance

adjective [ before noun ]

uk/tʃɑːns/ us/tʃæns/

happening in a way that is not planned or does not have any known cause or reason:

Her chance discovery of the letters led to their publication.

chance meeting Their relationship began with a chance meeting on a ski lift in Vail, Colorado.

chance encounter A chance encounter with another artist would change her life.

(Definition of chance from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

chance | American Dictionary

chance

noun

us/tʃæns/

chance noun (OPPORTUNITY)

[ C ]

an occasion that allows something to be done; an opportunity:

If you get a chance, come over and see me.

You had many chances to back out of the deal, and you didn’t do it.

She’d been a substitute on the team, and she wanted a chance to play every day.

chance noun (LIKELIHOOD)

[ U ]

a level of possibility that something will happen; likelihood:

I’ve applied to seven different universities, and there’s a good chance I’ll get into two of them.

chance noun (RISK)

[ C ]

a possibility that something bad will happen; a risk:

There’s a chance of injury in almost any sport.

You don’t get anywhere in life without taking chances.

chance noun (LUCK)

[ U ]

the happening of something in a way that no one could have known, so that it seems to have no cause:

Four years ago we met by chance in Paris.

Do you by any chance know when the last bus leaves tonight?

chance

verb

us/tʃæns/

chance verb (RISK)

[ T ]

to do something although it involves risk:

It’s a very popular restaurant, and we may not get a table, but let’s chance it.

chance verb (LUCK)

[ I ]

to happen or find something in a way that is not planned or expected:

I chanced upon some old love letters in a drawer.

(Definition of chance from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of chance

chance

However, this finding - quite destructive for the chances of a pro-social rule of conduct - needs qualifications.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The absence of these risk factors is expected to lessen the chances of severe conflict.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

There is conflicting evidence about how age affects an organization's chances of survival.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

As indicated by the estimated hazard ratio, rivalries that do not experience change to democracy have greater chances of survival.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Increased migration over the last two decades, however, has reduced the chances that grandmothers will live in the same area as their grandchildren.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

On one side, queries need to reach the largest number of peers in order to increase the chances to locate the target file.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

To improve their chances of gaining the presidency they knew they would have to somehow appeal to a broader cross section of the population.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Their inclusion probably reflects a selection bias, as a higher number exposed in these premises increases the chances of the outbreak being identified.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Parameterization of the chances of contact between age groups was done based on two field studies [28, 29].

From the Cambridge English Corpus

What evidence can be brought to bear, and what are the chances, in retrospect?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

They might also be reinforced by developments which increased the chances of detecting breaches of the law, such as advances in technology.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Taken together, the electoral rules have significant consequences for the chances of obtaining political power.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Finally, asking subjects to rank the outcomes before they acted would have chanced a contamination of their actual dilemma behaviour.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Figure 1 is a visual representation of the marginal impact that recurring disputes have on the chances of war.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Do parasites reduce the chances of triangulation in a real food web ?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of chance

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