CHANCE | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of chance in English chancenoun uk /tʃɑːns/ us /tʃæns/

chance noun (OPPORTUNITY)

Add to word list Add to word list 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 a chance to do something
  • chanceI didn't get a chance to say goodbye.
  • opportunityEveryone will get the opportunity to comment.
  • breakHer big break came when she was offered a role in a Spielberg movie.
  • springboardHe hoped writing an opinion piece for The Times would be the springboard he needed to get into journalism.
See more results »
  • Don't tell anyone I'm leaving before I've had a chance to tell Anthony.
  • We'd be glad of the chance to meet her.
  • We are now offering you the chance to buy the complete set of pans at half price.
  • Everyone will have a chance to make their views known at the meeting.
  • She missed the chance of promotion when she turned down the job of assistant manager.
Opportunity
  • another/a second bite at/of the cherry idiom
  • be in with a shout idiom
  • best bet idiom
  • big break
  • fish
  • foot
  • going
  • have a few, several, etc. irons in the fire idiom
  • have a field day idiom
  • hay
  • headroom
  • inch
  • iron
  • platform
  • room for manoeuvre idiom
  • scope
  • second chance
  • shop window
  • the American dream
  • the run of something idiom
See more results »

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 the chance of something happening
  • chanceThere's a good chance he'll resign.
  • probabilityWhat's the probability of winning?
  • oddsWhat are the odds that she takes him back?
  • likelihoodThe treaty increases the likelihood that the cease-fire will hold.
  • possibilityThere's a distinct possibility I won't be able to make it to the pub tonight.
See more results »
  • There's no chance of us getting there by eight.
  • There's still an outside chance that Scotland will get through into the World Cup.
  • She stands a good chance of passing her exam if she works hard.
  • The doctors told my wife I had a 50/50 chance of survival.
  • I must tell you in all honesty that there is little chance of the scheme being approved.
Possible and probable
  • add credence to something
  • always
  • anything's possible idiom
  • arguably
  • as never before idiom
  • bet
  • fighting chance
  • give credence to something
  • happen
  • houseroom
  • I shouldn't wonder idiom
  • margin
  • odds
  • presumably
  • prob
  • probabilistic
  • probabilistically
  • probability
  • prospect
  • tend
See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Chance and randomness

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
  • The doctor says there's no chance of contagion.
  • The weather forecast said that there's an even chance of thunderstorms tonight .
  • There is possibly less chance of another World War while the last one is within living memory.
  • There's a chance that he might go bankrupt.
  • Don't go climbing if there's any chance of bad weather.
Dangers and threats
  • balefully
  • baneful
  • banefully
  • black spot
  • hazard
  • hazardous
  • hazardously
  • hazmat
  • hazmat suit
  • or else idiom
  • or I'll know the reason why idiom
  • parlous
  • parlously
  • peril
  • someone's bark is worse than his/her bite idiom
  • tombstoning
  • treacherously
  • triple threat
  • ultra-hazardous
  • venturesome
See more results »

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 C2 used to ask a question or request in a polite way: Are you Hungarian, by any chance? See more Chance and randomness
  • accident
  • accident of birth
  • aleatory
  • arbitrarily
  • arbitrariness
  • crapshoot
  • even money
  • fluke
  • fluky
  • fortuitous
  • luck
  • luck into something phrasal verb
  • more by accident than design idiom
  • more by luck than judgment idiom
  • non-purposive
  • randomness
  • rub
  • serendipitous
  • serendipitously
  • the rub of the green idiom
See more results »

Idioms

chance would be a fine thing (the) chances are not give much for someone's chances chanceverb 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. Taking risks
  • adventurer
  • all in
  • be skating on thin ice idiom
  • bet the farm/ranch idiom
  • broke
  • dare
  • expose
  • hazard
  • high wire
  • high-stakes
  • imperil
  • jeopardize
  • lay
  • re-expose
  • risk
  • run the risk of doing something idiom
  • sail
  • sail close to the wind idiom
  • skate
  • sniper's alley
See more results »

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. Chance and randomness
  • accident
  • accident of birth
  • aleatory
  • arbitrarily
  • arbitrariness
  • crapshoot
  • even money
  • fluke
  • fluky
  • fortuitous
  • luck
  • luck into something phrasal verb
  • more by accident than design idiom
  • more by luck than judgment idiom
  • non-purposive
  • randomness
  • rub
  • serendipitous
  • serendipitously
  • the rub of the green idiom
See more results »

Idiom

chance your arm chanceadjective [ 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. happening by chance with no cause or reason
  • randomIt was a random encounter between two long-lost friends.
  • chanceA chance meeting brought them back together.
  • arbitraryIt seems like the decision to cancel such a successful TV programme was completely arbitrary.
  • haphazardHer cabinets were stuffed with a haphazard jumble of books, clothes, tins of soup, and papers.
  • coincidentalAny similarity between the characters in this book and real people, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
  • inadvertentA good editor will catch and correct all inadvertent typos in a text.
See more results »
  • We do not know yet whether this reported small increase is a chance occurrence or something more signficant.
  • Television programmes, newspaper articles, even chance events can trigger panic attacks.
Chance and randomness
  • accident
  • accident of birth
  • aleatory
  • arbitrarily
  • arbitrariness
  • crapshoot
  • even money
  • fluke
  • fluky
  • fortuitous
  • luck
  • luck into something phrasal verb
  • more by accident than design idiom
  • more by luck than judgment idiom
  • non-purposive
  • randomness
  • rub
  • serendipitous
  • serendipitously
  • the rub of the green idiom
See more results » (Definition of chance from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

chance | American Dictionary

chancenoun us /tʃæns/

chance noun (OPPORTUNITY)

Add to word list Add to word list [ 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? chanceverb 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 If background cases are included in the epidemiological investigation the chances of detecting the exposure responsible for the outbreak is reduced. 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 See all examples of chance These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with chance

chance

These are words often used in combination with chance.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

best chanceOf course everybody would want for himself or herself the best chance of the longest and best quality of life when they apply for treatment. From the Cambridge English Corpus better chanceIn this new world, without the social strife of the old, there seems to be a better chance that the marriage might be consummated. From the Cambridge English Corpus chance encounterFor many of them, a chance encounter with traditional music rekindled their interest. From the Cambridge English Corpus These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. See all collocations with chance What is the pronunciation of chance?

Translations of chance

in Chinese (Traditional) 機會, 機遇, 時機… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 机会, 机遇, 时机… See more in Spanish oportunidad, riesgo, casualidad… See more in Portuguese chance, oportunidade, risco… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Russian in Telugu in Arabic in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian एखादा प्रसंग जो काहीतरी करण्याची परवानगी देतो, मला बोलण्याची संधी दिलीस तर मी समजावून सांगेन., शक्यता… See more 可能性, 機会、チャンス, 偶然… See more olasılık, şans, olanak… See more occasion [feminine], chance [feminine], possibilité [feminine]… See more possibilitat, oportunitat, casualitat… See more toeval, kans, risico… See more ஏதாவது செய்ய அனுமதிக்கும் ஒரு சந்தர்ப்பம், ஏதாவது நடப்பதற்கான சாத்தியமான நிலை, எதிர்மறையான ஒன்று நடக்கக்கூடிய வாய்ப்பு… See more (कुछ करने या होने का) अवसर, (कुछ होने की) संभावना, आशंका… See more તક, શક્યતા, આશંકા… See more held, tilfælde, chance… See more tillfällighet, slump, lyckträff… See more nasib, peluang, kebarangkalian… See more der Zufall, das Glück, die Chance… See more sjanse [masculine], mulighet [masculine], tilfeldighet [masculine]… See more موقع, امکان, خدشہ کے امکان… See more випадок, випадковість, можливість… See more шанс, возможность, случайность… See more అవకాశం, ఒకటి జరిగే అవకాశం యొక్క స్థాయి, దురవకాశం… See more احْتِمال, فُرْصة, صُدْفة… See more সুযোগ, সম্ভাবনা, ঝুঁকি নিয়ে কাজ করা হয় এমন (বিপদ হওয়ার সম্ভাবনায়)… See more náhoda, příležitost, šance… See more kemujuran, kesempatan, kemungkinan… See more โชค, โอกาส, ความเป็นไปได้… See more sự tình cờ, cơ hội, sự có khả năng… See more szansa, okazja, przypadek… See more 가능성, 기회, (우연한) 기회… See more possibilità, probabilità, opportunità… See more Need a translator?

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champion of change championed championing championship chance chance would be a fine thing idiom chance your arm idiom chanced chancel {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of chance

  • fighting chance
  • by chance
  • fair chance
  • off chance
  • second chance
  • get a chance
  • not a chance
See all meanings
  • fat chance idiom
  • by any chance phrase
  • miss a chance/opportunity idiom
  • not a chance idiom
  • stand a chance phrase
  • stand a chance idiom
  • given the chance/choice idiom
See all idioms and phrases

Word of the Day

box lunch

UK /ˈbɒks ˌlʌntʃ/ US /ˈbɑːks ˌlʌntʃ/

a light meal put in a container, that you take with you to be eaten later, for example at school or work

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  • English   
    • Noun 
      • chance (OPPORTUNITY)
      • chance (POSSIBILITY)
      • chance (RISK)
      • chance (LUCK)
      • by any chance
    • Verb 
      • chance (RISK)
      • chance (LUCK)
    Adjective
  • American   
    • Noun 
      • chance (OPPORTUNITY)
      • chance (LIKELIHOOD)
      • chance (RISK)
      • chance (LUCK)
    • Verb 
      • chance (RISK)
      • chance (LUCK)
  • Examples
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  • Translations
  • Grammar
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