chance

See also: Chance

English

Alternative forms

• chaunce (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /tʃɑːns/
• (US, Australia) IPA^(key): /tʃæns/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːns, -æns

Etymology

From Old French chance ‎(“accident, chance, luck”), from Vulgar Latin cadentia ‎(“falling”), from Latin cadō ‎(“I fall, I die”). See also cadence, from the same Latin root.

Noun

chance ‎(plural chances)

1. (countable) An opportunity or possibility.
   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 2, in The Celebrity:

     Here was my chance. I took the old man aside, and two or three glasses of Old Crow launched him into reminiscence.

   We had the chance to meet the president last week.‎

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 percent chance of rain tomorrow.‎

4. (countable, archaic) What befalls or happens to a person; their lot or fate.
   • 1795, Robert Southey, "The Soldier's Wife" [1]:

     Wild-visag'd Wanderer! ah for thy heavy chance!

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: فُرْصَة f ‎(furṣa)

  Hijazi Arabic: فُرْصة f ‎(furṣa)

• Armenian: հնարավորություն (hy) ‎(hnaravorutʿyun)
• Bashkir: форсат ‎(forsat)
• Belarusian: шанс ‎(šans), шанц m ‎(šanc), магчы́масць f ‎(mahčýmascʹ)
• Bulgarian: възмо́жност (bg) f ‎(vǎzmóžnost), шанс (bg) m ‎(šans)
• Catalan: oportunitat f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 機會 (zh), 机会 (zh) ‎(jīhuì)

• Czech: šance (cs) f, příležitost (cs) f
• Dutch: kans (nl) f, gelegenheid (nl) f, mogelijkheid (nl) f
• Esperanto: ŝanco
• Estonian: võimalus
• Finnish: mahdollisuus (fi)
• French: chance (fr) f
• Galician: oportunidade (gl) f
• Georgian: შესაძლებლობა ‎(šesaʒlebloba), შანსი (ka) ‎(šansi)
• German: Gelegenheit (de) f, Möglichkeit (de) f, Chance (de) f
• Greek: ευκαιρία (el) f ‎(efkairía), πιθανότητα (el) ‎(pithanótita)
• Hebrew: סִיכּוּי m ‎(sikúi)
• Hindi: अवसर (hi) m ‎(avsar), मौक़ा m ‎(mauqā)
• Hungarian: alkalom (hu), lehetőség (hu)
• Indonesian: kesempatan
• Irish: faill f, seans m
• Italian: possibilità (it) f, opportunità (it) f, chance (it) f
• Japanese: 機会 (ja) ‎(きかい, kikai), チャンス (ja) ‎(chansu), 機 (ja) ‎(き, ki)
• Kazakh: мүмкіндік (kk) ‎(mümkindik)
• Korean: 기회 (ko) ‎(gihoe) (機會 (ko)), 찬스 (ko) ‎(chanseu)
• Latin: opportunitas f, possibilitas f, potestas (la) f

• Lithuanian: próga f
• Macedonian: шанса f ‎(šansa), можност f ‎(možnost)
• Malay: peluang, kesempatan, cerlak, can
• Norwegian: sjanse (no) m, mulighet (no) m
• Novial: chanse
• Persian: فرصت (fa) ‎(forsat), شانس (fa) ‎(šâns)
• Polish: szansa (pl) f, okazja (pl) f
• Portuguese: chance (pt) f
• Romanian: șansă (ro) f, șanse f pl, ocazie (ro) f
• Romansch: pussaivladad f (Rumantsch Grischun)
• Russian: возмо́жность (ru) f ‎(vozmóžnostʹ), шанс (ru) m ‎(šans)
• Scottish Gaelic: cothrom m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: шанса f, могућност f

  Roman: šansa (sh) f, mogućnost (sh) f

• Slovak: príležitosť f, šanca f
• Slovene: priložnost (sl) f
• Spanish: oportunidad (es) f, posibilidad (es) f, chance (es) m, f
• Swahili: nafasi (sw)
• Swedish: chans (sv) c
• Tagalog: pagkakataon
• Tajik: фурсат ‎(fursat)
• Tatar: форсат (tt) ‎(forsat)
• Telugu: అవకాశము (te) ‎(avakāśamu)
• Turkish: şans (tr), talih (tr), fırsat (tr)
• Ukrainian: шанс m ‎(šans), можли́вість f ‎(možlývistʹ)
• Urdu: موقع m ‎(mauqa')
• Uzbek: imkoniyat (uz)
• Vietnamese: cơ hội (vi) (機會)
• Volapük: mögod (vo)

random occurrence

• Armenian: պատահականություն (hy) ‎(patahakanutʿyun), դիպված (hy) ‎(dipvac)
• Basque: zori
• Bulgarian: случа́йност (bg) f ‎(slučájnost)
• Catalan: atzar (ca) m
• Czech: náhoda (cs) f
• Dutch: toeval (nl) n
• Esperanto: hazardo (eo)
• Finnish: sattuma (fi)
• French: raccroc (fr) m
• Georgian: შემთხვევა ‎(šemtxveva)
• German: Zufall (de) m
• Greek: τύχη (el) f ‎(týchi), σύμπτωση (el) f ‎(sýmptosi), περίσταση (el) f ‎(perístasi), συγκυρία (el) f ‎(synkyría)

• Hebrew: מקרה m ‎(miqre)
• Hungarian: véletlen (hu)
• Irish: seans m
• Khmer: គ្រោះ (km) ‎(krʊəh)
• Latin: accidentia, fors
• Norwegian: mulighet (no), tilfeldigheter m pl
• Portuguese: acaso (pt)
• Romanian: întâmplare (ro) f, accident (ro) n
• Russian: случа́йность (ru) f ‎(slučájnostʹ)
• Spanish: azar (es) m, suerte (es) f, casualidad (es) f
• Swedish: slump (sv) c
• Turkish: şans (tr), fırsat (tr), kaza (tr)

probability of something happening

• Armenian: հավանականություն (hy) ‎(havanakanutʿyun)
• Bulgarian: вероя́тност (bg) f ‎(verojátnost)
• Catalan: probabilitat f
• Czech: šance (cs) f, pravděpodobnost f
• Dutch: kans (nl) f
• Finnish: mahdollisuus (fi), todennäköisyys (fi)
• French: (beneficial) chance (fr) f, (detrimental, risky) risque (fr) m
• Georgian: შემთხვევითობა ‎(šemtxvevitoba)
• German: Wahrscheinlichkeit (de) f
• Greek: πιθανότητα (el) f ‎(pithanótita), ενδεχόμενο (el) n ‎(endechómeno)
• Hindi: सम्भावना (hi) f ‎(sambhaavana)
• Hungarian: valószínűség (hu), eshetőség (hu), esély (hu)
• Irish: seans m

• Italian: probabilità (it) f
• Latin: accidentia, accidentia, probabilitas, fors f
• Norwegian: sjanse (no) m, sannsynlighet (no) m
• Portuguese: probabilidade (pt)
• Romanian: probabilitate (ro) f
• Russian: вероя́тность (ru) f ‎(verojátnostʹ), шанс (ru) m ‎(šans)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: могућност f, шанса f

  Roman: mogućnost (sh) f, šansa (sh) f

• Spanish: probabilidad f
• Swedish: chans (sv) c, sannolikhet (sv) c
• Turkish: şans (tr), ihtimal (tr), olanak (tr)

lot or fate

• Turkish: talih (tr), baht (tr), kader (tr), kısmet (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} შემთხვევა ‎(šemtxveva)

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.

   • Bible, Deuteronomy xxii. 6

     if a bird's nest chance to be before thee

   • Shakespeare

     I chanced on this letter.

   • 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. (archaic, transitive) To befall; to happen to.
   • 1826, William Lambarde, A Perambulation of Kent

     […] while the King and Godwine sate at the table, accompanied with others of the nobilitie, it chanced the cupbearer (as he brought wine to the bourd) to slip with the one foote, and yet by good strength of his other leg, to recover himselfe without falling […]

3. To try or risk.

   Shall we carry the umbrella, or chance a rainstorm?

   • W. D. Howells

     Come what will, I will chance it.

4. To discover something by chance.

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

Derived terms

• chance on
• chance one's arm
• chance upon

Translations

to try or risk

• Bulgarian: рискувам (bg) ‎(riskuvam)
• Catalan: arriscar-se (ca)
• Dutch: wagen (nl)
• Finnish: ottaa riski

• Romanian: risca (ro)
• Swahili: nafasi (sw)
• Swedish: chansa (sv), riskera (sv)
• Turkish: riske etmek

to discover by chance

• Bulgarian: попадам на ‎(popadam na)
• Czech: narazit
• Finnish: löytää/kohdata/tavata sattumalta

• Maori: tūpono, matawhaia
• Swahili: nafasi (sw)
• Swedish: råka (sv)

Adjective

chance ‎(comparative more chance, superlative most chance)

1. (rare) Happening by chance, casual.
   • 1859, Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, ch. VI, The Shoe Maker (Heron Book Centenial Edition)

     No crowd was about the door; no people were discernible at any of the many windows; not even a chance passer-by was in the street. An unnatural silence and desertion reigned there.

Translations

• Swedish: tillfällig (sv), oförutsedd (sv), opåräknad, förlupen (sv), slumpartad (sv), händelsevis (sv) påträffad

References

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

Statistics

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

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Danish

Etymology

From French chance, from Vulgar Latin cadentia ‎(“falling”), from Latin cadō ‎(“I fall, I die”).

Noun

chance c (singular definite chancen, plural indefinite chancer)

1. A chance

Antonyms

• risiko

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɑ̃s/

• Audio (FR)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑ̃s

Etymology

From Old French chance, cheance ‎(“accident, chance, luck”), from Vulgar Latin cadentia ‎(“falling”), from Latin cadēns, from cadō ‎(“I fall, I die”). Doublet of cadence, borrowed from Italian.

Noun

chance f ‎(plural chances)

1. chance
2. luck

Antonyms

• adversité
• guigne (familiar)
• malchance
• malheur

Related terms

• avoir de la chance
• chanceux
• malchanceux

External links

• “chance” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Italian

Alternative forms

• scians

Etymology

From French chance

Noun

chance f ‎(invariable)

1. chance (possibility of a certain outcome)

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Old French

Alternative forms

• caanche
• cance
• canche

• chaance
• chaiance
• cheance

Etymology

Latin cadentia.

Noun

chance f ‎(oblique plural chances, nominative singular chance, nominative plural chances)

1. chance; fate
2. (rare) a throw of a die

Descendants

• English: chance (borrowed)
  • Japanese: チャンス ‎(chansu) (borrowed)
• French: chance
  • Danish: chance (borrowed)
  • Italian: chance (borrowed)
  • Spanish: chance (borrowed)
  • Turkish: şans (borrowed)
  • Portuguese: chance (borrowed)

References

• (fr) Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (cheance, supplement)
• (fr) Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (chance)
• chance on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub

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Portuguese

Etymology

From French chance.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʃɐ̃sɨ/

Noun

chance f (plural chances)

1. Probability
2. chance, opportunity.

Related terms

• sem chance

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Spanish

Etymology

From French chance.

Noun

chance m, f ‎(plural chances)

1. chance

Conjunction

chance

1. (Mexico) maybe, perchance, perhaps or possibly

Synonyms

• a lo mejor
• quizá
• quizás
• tal vez