chance

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable) An opportunity or possibility.
2. (uncountable) Random occurrence; luck.
3. (countable) The probability of something happening.
4. (countable, plural, uncountable) probability; possibility.
5. (archaic, countable) What befalls or happens to a person; their lot or fate.

Adj

Happening by chance, casual.

Adv

Perchance; perhaps.

Verb

1. (archaic, intransitive) To happen by chance, to occur.
2. (archaic, transitive) To befall; to happen to.
3. To try or risk.
4. To discover something by chance.
5. (Belize) To rob, cheat or swindle someone.
6. (Nigeria) To take an opportunity from someone; to cut a queue.

Synonyms

opportunity

luck

🍀

occasion

fortune

accident

accidental

hazard

possibility

fate

random

probability

casual

risk

fortuity

coincidence

fortuitous

happen

event

incident

destiny

opening

adventitious

odds

occurrence

accidence

prospect

occurence

instance

adventure

venture

likelihood

lot

haphazard

contingent

gamble

incidental

case

cue

contingency

betide

hap

eventuality

fluke

take a chance

come about

coincidental

circumstance

moment

motive

peradventure

Translations

chance

🎲

Gelegenheit

kans

🎲

occasion

oportunidad

Zufall

🎲

caso

🎲

opportunité

Möglichkeit

Chance

🎲

hasard

mogelijkheid

azar

🍀

opportunità

toeval

Pronounced as (IPA)

/t͡ʃæns/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: chance

Inherited from Middle English: chancen

In summary

From Middle English chance, cheance, chaunce, cheaunce, a borrowing from Old French cheance (“accident, chance, luck”), from Vulgar Latin *cadentia (“falling”), from Latin cadere (“to fall, to die, to happen, occur”). Doublet of cadence and cadenza.