chance - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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.

chance (countable and uncountable, plural chances)

  1. (countable) An opportunity or possibility.
    We had the chance to meet the president last week: we have a good/strong chance of making / to make a profit.
    There was a fat/slim chance that my letter would arrive in time.
    If you get the chance, try and catch the new production of "Hamlet."
    • 1965 March 15, Lyndon B. Johnson, 42:30 from the start, in Special Message to the Congress: The American Promise [on the Voting Rights Act], 3/15/65. MP506.‎[1], Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum‎[2]:
      It never even occurred to me in my fondest dreams that I might have the chance to help the sons and daughters of those students and to help people like them all over this country.
      But now I do have that chance, and I'll let you in on a secret: I mean to use it.
  2. (uncountable) Random occurrence; luck.
    Synonyms: fortune, hap; see also Thesaurus:luck
    Why leave it to chance when a few simple steps will secure the desired outcome?
    My whole life seems to be ruled by blind chance.
  3. (countable) The probability of something happening.
    There is a 30 percent chance of rain tomorrow.
    There is little chance of having the chance to approach such a big celeb.
  4. (in plural as chances) probability; possibility.
    Synonyms: eventuality; see also Thesaurus:possibility
    • 1908, Ernest Young, “Chapter 4 The children”, in Peeps at Many Lands: Siam, London: Adam and Charles Black, page 16:
      Sometimes the name is changed because it is thought to be unlucky. If "Chua" is ill, the chances are that there are certain spirits who do not like his name, so the parents alter his name to "Mee," or something else, and then he gets well again.
  5. (countable, archaic) What befalls or happens to a person; their lot or fate.
    Synonyms: destiny, doom; see also Thesaurus:fate
    • 1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London:
      But at the moment when everything was going so well, there came one of those unforeseeable chances that reduce even the most circumspectly arranged plots to the significance of a mere toss-up.
    • 1795, Robert Southey, The Soldier's Wife‎[3]:
      Wild-visag'd Wanderer! ah for thy heavy chance!

an opportunity or possibility

random occurrence

probability of something happening

lot or fate

chance (not comparable)

  1. Happening by chance, casual.

chance (not comparable)

  1. (obsolete) Perchance; perhaps.

From Middle English chancen, chauncen, from the noun (see above).

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 April, Thomas Carlyle, “ch. XV, Practical — Devotional”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book II (The Ancient Monk):
      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 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], chapter XVIII, in Jane Eyre. An Autobiography. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], →OCLC:
      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?
    • 1890, William Dean Howells, A Hazard of New Fortunes:
      He does chance it in stocks, but he's always played on the square, if you call stocks gambling.
  4. To discover something by chance.
    He chanced upon a kindly stranger who showed him the way.
  5. (Belize) To rob, cheat or swindle someone.
    The car broke down a week after I bought it. I was chanced by that fast-talking salesman.
    • 2017 March 22, Jules Vasquez, “Shyne Urges Artists To Protest Against Businesses Countrywide”, in 7 News Belize‎[4]:
      Be prepared to engage in protests of all businesses nationwide who are violating the copyright act and chancing our members.
  6. (Nigeria) To take an opportunity from someone; to cut a queue.

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

chance c (singular definite chancen, plural indefinite chancer)

  1. chance

Perhaps from Swedish chansa.

chance (imperative chanc, infinitive at chance, present tense chancer, past tense chancede, perfect tense chancet)

  1. (rare) to take a chance, gamble

Borrowed from French chance, from Vulgar Latin *cadentia. Doublet of chenci.

chance f (plural chances) (ORB, broad)

  1. chance, luck

Further information

[edit]

From Old French cheance (“accident, chance, luck”), inherited from Vulgar Latin *cadentia (“falling”). Doublet of cadence, a borrowing from Italian.

chance f (plural chances)

  1. chance
    Il y a des fortes chances que vos neurones fonctionnent bien
    There's every chance your neurons are working well
  2. luck
  3. (euphemistic) Immigrant of non-European heritage, short for "chance pour la France".

Descendants

Borrowed from French chance. Doublet of cadenza.

chance f (invariable)

  1. chance (possibility of a certain outcome)

chance

  1. alternative form of chaunce

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

  1. alternative form of cheance

Borrowed from French chance.[1][2] Doublet of cadência.

chance f (plural chances)

  1. probability

  2. chance, opportunity
    Synonym: oportunidade

  3. ^ “chance”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026

  4. ^ “chance”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Borrowed from French chance or from English chance. Doublet of cadencia.

chance m or f same meaning (plural chances)

  1. (Latin America) chance
  2. (colloquial, Guatemala, El Salvador) a job; a position; a post of employment
    Juan dice que hay un chance en su empresa.
    Juan says there's a position at his company.

chance

  1. (Mexico) maybe, perchance, perhaps or possibly
    Synonyms: a lo mejor, quizá, quizás, tal vez