CHANCE

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does chance mean? 

• CHANCE (noun)
  The noun CHANCE has 5 senses:

1. a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

2. an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

3. a risk involving danger

4. a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible

5. the possibility of future success

  Familiarity information: CHANCE used as a noun is common.

• CHANCE (adjective)
  The adjective CHANCE has 1 sense:

1. occurring or appearing or singled out by chance

  Familiarity information: CHANCE used as an adjective is very rare.

• CHANCE (verb)
  The verb CHANCE has 3 senses:

1. be the case by chance

2. take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

3. come upon, as if by accident; meet with

  Familiarity information: CHANCE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHANCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

chance; opportunity

Context example:

now is your chance

Hypernyms ("chance" is a kind of...):

possibility; possibleness (capability of existing or happening or being true)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chance"):

clean slate; fresh start; tabula rasa (an opportunity to start over without prejudice)

throw (a single chance or instance)

street (a situation offering opportunities)

crack; shot (a chance to do something)

say (the chance to speak)

room (opportunity for)

opening (opportunity especially for employment or promotion)

occasion (an opportunity to do something)

hunting ground (a place where opportunities abound)

audience; hearing (an opportunity to state your case and be heard)

day (a period of opportunity)

brass ring (a rich opportunity or a prize)

Derivation:

chance (be the case by chance)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

chance; fortune; hazard; luck

Context example:

we ran into each other by pure chance

Hypernyms ("chance" is a kind of...):

phenomenon (any state or process known through the senses rather than by intuition or reasoning)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chance"):

bad luck; mischance; mishap (an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate)

even chance; toss-up; tossup (an unpredictable phenomenon)

Derivation:

chance (be the case by chance)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A risk involving danger

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

you take a chance when you let her drive

Hypernyms ("chance" is a kind of...):

danger; peril; risk (a venture undertaken without regard to possible loss or injury)

Derivation:

chance (take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome)

chancy (of uncertain outcome; especially fraught with risk)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

chance; probability

Context example:

if that phone call is for me, chances are it's my wife

Hypernyms ("chance" is a kind of...):

amount; measure; quantity (how much there is or how many there are of something that you can quantify)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chance"):

cross section ((physics) the probability that a particular interaction (as capture or ionization) will take place between particles; measured in barns)

exceedance ((geology) the probability that an earthquake will generate a level of ground motion that exceeds a specified reference level during a given exposure time)

fair chance; sporting chance (a reasonable probability of success)

fat chance; slim chance (little or no chance of success)

joint probability (the probability of two events occurring together)

risk; risk of exposure (the probability of being exposed to an infectious agent)

risk; risk of infection (the probability of becoming infected given that exposure to an infectious agent has occurred)

conditional probability; contingent probability (the probability that an event will occur given that one or more other events have occurred)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The possibility of future success

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

chance; prospect

Context example:

his prospects as a writer are excellent

Hypernyms ("chance" is a kind of...):

potency; potential; potentiality (the inherent capacity for coming into being)

• CHANCE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Occurring or appearing or singled out by chance

Synonyms:

casual; chance

Context example:

a chance occurrence

Similar:

unplanned (without apparent forethought or prompting or planning)

• CHANCE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they chance    ... he / she / it chances   
Past simple: chanced   
Past participle: chanced   
-ing form: chancing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be the case by chance

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

I chanced to meet my old friend in the street

Hypernyms (to "chance" is one way to...):

come about; fall out; go on; hap; happen; occur; pass; pass off; take place (come to pass)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "chance"):

happen (chance to be or do something, without intention or causation)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

chance (an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another)

chance (a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

adventure; chance; gamble; hazard; risk; run a risk; take a chance; take chances

Context example:

When you buy these stocks you are gambling

Hypernyms (to "chance" is one way to...):

assay; attempt; essay; seek; try (make an effort or attempt)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "chance"):

go for broke (risk everything in one big effort)

luck it; luck through (act by relying on one's luck)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

chance (a risk involving danger)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Come upon, as if by accident; meet with

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

bump; chance; encounter; find; happen

Context example:

She chanced upon an interesting book in the bookstore the other day

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

It was a splendid chance of putting your theories into practice, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

By the purest chance Blessington was out on each occasion.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

By a curious chance you came upon her tresses.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He's given me my chance, an' he's all right.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

By the luckiest chance in the world, I had not discharged myself of any part of it.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

This could be a lucrative source of fees for you, so if you get the chance, investigate the offer.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

It was a slight matter in itself, but it gave me an evident chance, and I secured a few drops of the blood and have analysed them.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

He saw, once for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

“My dear,” said Mr. Micawber, “Britannia must take her chance. I am bound to say that she has never done much for me, and that I have no particular wish upon the subject.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

His eyes chanced upon the cook.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)