chance

See also Chance

English

Alternative forms

• chaunce (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /tʃɑːns/
• (US) IPA: /tʃæns/

• Audio (UK)

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• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɑːns

Etymology

From Old French cheance, from Vulgar Latin cadentia, from Latin cadentem.

Noun

chance (plural chances)

1. (countable) An opportunity or possibility.

   We have the chance

2. (uncountable) Random occurrence; luck.

   Why leave it to chance when a few simple steps will secure the desired outcome?

3. (countable) The probability of something happening.

   There is a 30% chance of rain tomorrow.

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun "chance"

Buckley's chance by chance chance'd be a fine thing chance fracture chance-medley chancer chances are chancy Chinaman's chance dog's chance even chance fair chance fat chance fighting chance first-chance exception game of chance

half a chance happy chance in with a chance jump at the chance last chance last chance saloon main chance mum chance not a chance off chance/off-chance outside chance perchance slim chance smart chance snowball's chance snowball's chance in hell sporting chance stand a chance

Translations

an opportunity or possibility

Arabic: فرصة (ar) (furSa) f. Armenian: հնարավորություն (hy) (hnaravorut’tyun) Bulgarian: възможност (bg) f., вероятност (bg) f. Croatian: šansa (hr), mogućnost (hr) Czech: šance (cs) f. Dutch: kans (nl) f., gelegenheid (nl) f., mogelijkheid (nl) f. Esperanto: ŝanco (eo) Estonian: võimalus (et) Finnish: mahdollisuus (fi) French: chance (fr) f. German: Gelegenheit (de) f., Möglichkeit (de) f., Chance (de) f. Greek: ευκαιρία (el) f., πιθανότητα (el) Hebrew: סיכוי (sikui) m. Hungarian: alkalom (hu), lehetőség (hu) Indonesian: kesempatan Irish: faill (ga) f., seans (ga) m.

Italian: possibilità (it) f., opportunità (it) f. Japanese: 機会 (きかい, kikai), チャンス (chansu) Latin: opportunitas (la) f., possibilitas (la) f., potestas (la) f. Norwegian: sjanse (no) m. Novial: chanse Polish: szansa (pl) f., okazja (pl) f. Portuguese: chance (pt) f. Romanian: șansă (ro) f., șanse (ro) f. pl., ocazie (ro) f. Russian: возможность (ru) (vozmóžnost') f., шанс (ru) (šans) m. Scottish Gaelic: cothrom (gd) m. Slovene: priložnost (sl) f. Spanish: probabilidad (es) f., oportunidad (es) f. Swahili: nafasi (sw) Swedish: chans (sv) c. Telugu: అవకాశము (1) Volapük: mögod (vo)

random occurrence

Armenian: պատահականություն (hy) (patahakanut’yun), դիպված (hy) (dipvaç) Basque: zori (eu) Bulgarian: случайност (bg) f. Czech: náhoda (cs) f. Dutch: toeval (nl) n. Finnish: sattuma (fi) French: raccroc (fr) m. German: Zufall (de) m.

Greek: τύχη (el) f., σύμπτωση (el) f., περίσταση (el) f., συγκυρία (el) f. Hebrew: מקרה (miqre) m. Hungarian: véletlen (hu) Irish: seans (ga) m. Latin: accidentia (la), fors (la) Russian: случайность (ru) (slučájnost') f. Swedish: slump (sv) c.

probability of something happening

Armenian: հավանականություն (hy) (havanakanut’yun) Bulgarian: вероятност (bg) f. Croatian: mogućnost (hr), šansa (hr) Czech: šance (cs) f. Dutch: kans (nl) f. Finnish: mahdollisuus (fi), todennäköisyys (fi) French: (beneficial) chance (fr) f., (detrimental, risky) risque (fr) m. German: Wahrscheinlichkeit (de) f.

Greek: πιθανότητα f., ενδεχόμενο n. Hungarian: valószínűség (hu), eshetőség (hu), esély (hu) Irish: seans (ga) m. Italian: probabilità (it) f. Latin: accidentia (la), accidentia (la), probabilitas (la), fors (la) f. Russian: вероятность (ru) (verojátnost') f., шанс (ru) (šans) m. Swedish: chans (sv) c., sannolikhet (sv) c.

Verb

chance (third-person singular simple present chances, present participle chancing, simple past and past participle chanced)

1. (archaic, intransitive) To happen by chance, to occur.

   It chanced that I found a solution the very next day.

   • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. XV, Practical — Devotional

     Once […] it chanced that Geoffrey Riddell Bishop of Ely, a Prelate rather troublesome to our Abbot, made a request of him for timber from his woods towards certain edifices going on at Glemsford.

   • 1847, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, Chapter XVIII

     Mr. Mason, shivering as some one chanced to open the door, asked for more coal to be put on the fire, which had burnt out its flame, though its mass of cinder still shone hot and red. The footman who brought the coal, in going out, stopped near Mr. Eshton's chair, and said something to him in a low voice, of which I heard only the words, "old woman,"—"quite troublesome."

2. To try or risk.

   Shall we carry the umbrella, or chance it?

3. To discover something by chance.

   He chanced upon a kindly stranger who showed him the way.

Derived terms

• chance on
• chance upon

Translations

to try or risk

Bulgarian: рискувам (bg) Dutch: wagen (nl) Finnish: ottaa riski

Romanian: risca (ro) Swahili: nafasi (sw) Swedish: chansa (sv), riskera (sv)

to discover by chance

Bulgarian: попадам на (bg) Czech: narazit (cs) Finnish: löytää/kohdata/tavata sattumalta

Swahili: nafasi (sw) Swedish: råka (sv)

Adjective

chance (comparative more chance, superlative most chance)

1. (rare) happening by chance, casual

References

• chance in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• “chance” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: filled · visit · follow · #639: chance · happened · broken · trouble

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʃɑ̃s/

• Audio (FR)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑ̃s

Noun

chance f. (plural chances)

1. chance
2. luck

Antonyms

• adversité
• guigne (familiar)
• malchance
• malheur

Related terms

• avoir de la chance
• chanceux
• malchanceux

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Italian

Etymology

French

Noun

chance f. inv.

1. chance (possibility of a certain outcome)

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Portuguese

Noun

chance (plural chances)

1. Probability.

Related terms

• Sem chance.

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Spanish

Noun

chance f. (plural chances)

1. chance