chance

[[t]tʃɑ͟ːns, tʃæ̱ns[/t]]

♦

chances, chancing, chanced

1) N-VAR: oft N of -ing/n, N that If there is a chance of something happening, it is possible that it will happen.

Do you think they have a chance of beating Australia?...

This partnership has a good chance of success...

The specialist who carried out the brain scan thought Tim's chances of survival were still slim...

There was really very little chance that Ben would ever have led a normal life.

2) N-SING: usu N to-inf, N for n to-inf If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it.

The electoral council announced that all eligible people would get a chance to vote...

Most refugee doctors never get the chance to practice medicine in British hospitals...

I felt I had to give him a chance.

3) ADJ: ADJ n A chance meeting or event is one that is not planned or expected.

...a chance meeting.

N-UNCOUNT

Chance is also a noun.

...a victim of chance and circumstance.

4) VERB If you chance to do something or chance on something, you do it or find it although you had not planned or tried to. [FORMAL]

[V to-inf] A man I chanced to meet proved to be a most unusual character...

[V to-inf] It was just then that I chanced to look round.

[V upon/on/across n] ...Christopher Columbus, who chanced upon the Dominican Republic nearly 500 years ago.

Syn:

happen to

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.

[V it] Andy knew the risks. I cannot believe he would have chanced it...

[V n] He decided no assassin would chance a shot from amongst that crowd.

Syn:

risk

6) → See also off-chance

7) PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR with cl Something that happens by chance was not planned by anyone.

He had met Mr Maude by chance.

Syn:

by accident

8) PHRASE: PHR with cl (not first in cl) 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.

Are they by any chance related?

Syn:

perhaps

9) PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR of -ing 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.

Being very good at science subjects, I stood a good chance of gaining high grades...

Neither is seen as standing any chance of snatching the leadership from him.

10) PHRASE: V and N inflect When you take a chance, you try to do something although there is a large risk of danger or failure.

You take a chance on the weather if you holiday in the UK...

From then on, the Chinese were taking no chances...

Dennis was not a man to take chances.

Syn:

take a risk