chance
noun
uk
/tʃɑːns/ us
/tʃæns/chance noun (OPPORTUNITY)
get a chance I didn't get a chance to speak to her.
have a chance If you have a chance, try the steak.
[ + to infinitive ] If you give me a chance to speak, I'll explain.
second chance Society has to give prisoners a second chance when they come out of jail.
given half a chance I'd go now given half a chance (= if I had the slightest opportunity).
Synonym
- 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.
- 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.
- another/a second bite at/of the cherry idiom
- be in with a shout idiom
- best bet idiom
- big break
- fish
- foot
- going
- golden opportunity
- have a few, several, etc. irons in the fire idiom
- have a field day idiom
- have a go
- inch
- iron
- pass someone by phrasal verb
- platform
- room for manoeuvre idiom
- scope
- second chance
- the American dream
- the run of something idiom
chance noun (POSSIBILITY)
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."
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
chance noun (RISK)
B2 [ C ]
take a chance I'm delivering my work by hand - I'm not taking any chances.
Synonym
- 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.
- balefully
- baneful
- banefully
- black spot
- hazard to someone/something
- hazardous
- hazardously
- hazmat
- hazmat suit
- on/under pain of death idiom
- or else idiom
- or I'll know the reason why idiom
- parlous
- parlously
- someone's bark is worse than his/her bite idiom
- tombstoning
- treacherously
- triple threat
- ultra-hazardous
- venturesome
chance noun (LUCK)
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.
- accident
- accident of birth
- aleatory
- arbitrarily
- arbitrariness
- even money
- fluke
- fluky
- fortuitous
- fortuitously
- luck
- luck into something phrasal verb
- more by accident than design idiom
- more by luck than judgment idiom
- non-purposive
- rub
- serendipitous
- serendipitously
- sortition
- the rub of the green idiom
chance
verb
uk
/tʃɑːns/ us
/tʃæns/chance verb (RISK)
- adventurer
- all in
- be skating on thin ice idiom
- bet the farm/ranch idiom
- broke
- compromise
- expose
- gamble
- have/put your head on the block idiom
- hazard
- high wire
- high-stakes
- imperil
- kamikaze
- put your neck on the line idiom
- re-expose
- risk
- run the risk of doing something idiom
- sail
- sail close to the wind idiom
chance verb (LUCK)
[ + to infinitive ] They chanced to be in the restaurant when I arrived.
- accident
- accident of birth
- aleatory
- arbitrarily
- arbitrariness
- even money
- fluke
- fluky
- fortuitous
- fortuitously
- luck
- luck into something phrasal verb
- more by accident than design idiom
- more by luck than judgment idiom
- non-purposive
- rub
- serendipitous
- serendipitously
- sortition
- the rub of the green idiom
Idiom
Her chance discovery of the letters led to their publication.
- 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.
- accident
- accident of birth
- aleatory
- arbitrarily
- arbitrariness
- even money
- fluke
- fluky
- fortuitous
- fortuitously
- luck
- luck into something phrasal verb
- more by accident than design idiom
- more by luck than judgment idiom
- non-purposive
- rub
- serendipitous
- serendipitously
- sortition
- the rub of the green idiom
