chance

chance¹ W1S1 [tʃa:ns US tʃæns] n

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1¦(possibility)¦

2¦(opportunity)¦

3¦(risk)¦

4¦(likely to succeed)¦

5¦(luck)¦

6 stand/have a chance (of something/of doing something)

7 by any chance

8 any chance of ...?

9 be in with a chance

10 no chance!/fat chance!

11 on the off chance

12 chance would be a fine thing!

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[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: Vulgar Latin cadentia 'fall', from Latin cadere 'to fall']

1.) ¦(POSSIBILITY)¦ [U and C]

how possible or likely it is that something will happen, especially something that you want

▪ There's always the chance that something will go wrong.

chance of

▪ what are the team's chances of success?

▪ She has a good chance of a successful recovery.

▪ There is little chance of her being found alive.

▪ The day will be cloudy with a slight chance of rain later tonight.

▪ He gave the show a fifty-fifty chance of survival.

▪ It was a million to one chance , but it had happened.

▪ The operation is performed under local anaesthetic, which lessens the chances of infection.

▪ How can we improve our chances of career development?

▪ Chances are they'll be out when we call.

2.) ¦(OPPORTUNITY)¦

a time or situation which you can use to do something that you want to do

= ↑opportunity chance to do sth

▪ Ralph was waiting for a chance to introduce himself.

chance of

▪ our only chance of escape

have/get a chance (to do sth)

▪ I never get a chance to relax these days.

▪ I'm sorry, I haven't had a chance to look at it yet.

▪ I can explain everything if you'll just give me a chance .

▪ You should take the chance (=use the opportunity) to travel while you're still young.

grab the chance/jump at the chance

(=eagerly and quickly use an opportunity)

▪ If someone invited me over to Florida, I'd jump at the chance.

▪ Denise never misses the chance of a free meal.

a second chance/another chance

▪ He was given a second chance to prove his abilities.

▪ Friday is your last chance to see the show before it closes.

▪ I'll give you one last chance and if you don't bring it on Monday, you'll be in trouble.

a chance of a lifetime/a chance in a million

(=a chance that you are very unlikely to have again)

▪ I couldn't pass up going to Japan; it was a chance in a million.

▪ Quick! Now's your chance to ask her, before she leaves.

▪ Rick could do really well, given half a chance (=if he were given even a small opportunity) .

3.) ¦(RISK)¦

take a chance

to do something that involves risks

▪ The rope might break, but that's a chance we'll have to take.

▪ After losing $20,000 on my last business venture, I'm not taking any chances this time.

take a chance on

▪ He was taking a chance on a relatively new young actor.

▪ He decided to take his chances in the boat.

4.) ¦(LIKELY TO SUCCEED)¦

sb's chances

how likely it is that someone will succeed

▪ Ryan will be a candidate in next month's elections, but his chances are not good.

sb's chances of doing sth

▪ England's chances of winning the series have all but disappeared.

not fancy/not rate sb's chances

BrE (=think someone is unlikely to succeed)

▪ I don't really fancy their chances against such tough opposition.

5.) ¦(LUCK)¦[U]

the way some things happen without being planned or caused by people

→↑fate by chance

▪ I bumped into her quite by chance in Oxford Street.

leave sth to chance

(=to not plan something but just hope that everything will happen as intended)

▪ Dave had thought of every possibility, he was leaving nothing to chance.

pure/sheer/blind chance

(=not at all planned)

▪ It was pure chance that they ended up working in the same office in the same town.

▪ As chance would have it , the one time I wanted to see her, she wasn't in.

6.) stand/have a chance (of sth/of doing sth)

if someone or something stands a chance of doing something, it is possible that they will succeed

▪ If we did move to London, I'd stand a much better chance of getting a job.

▪ Ireland have an outside chance (=slight chance) of qualifying for the World Cup.

▪ He has a sporting chance of promotion (=a fairly good chance) .

▪ I've given myself a fighting chance of getting to the finals (=a small but real chance if a great effort can be made) .

7.) by any chance

spoken used to ask politely whether something is true

▪ Are you Mrs Grant, by any chance?

8.) any chance of ...?

spoken used to ask whether you can have something or whether something is possible

▪ Any chance of a cup of coffee?

▪ Any chance of you coming to the party on Saturday?

9.) be in with a chance

if a competitor is in with a chance, it is possible that they will win

▪ I think we're in with a good chance of beating them.

10.) no chance!/fat chance!

spoken used to emphasize that you are sure something could never happen

▪ 'Maybe your brother would lend you the money?' 'Huh, fat chance!'

11.) on the off chance

if you do something on the off chance, you do it hoping for a particular result, although you know it is not likely

▪ I didn't really expect her to be at home. I just called on the off chance.

→↑off-chance

12.) chance would be a fine thing!

BrE spoken used to mean that the thing you want to happen is very unlikely

▪ 'Do you think you'll get married?' 'Chance would be a fine thing!'

→game of chance at ↑game¹ (15)

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COLLOCATES for sense 1

there's a chance (that) (=it is possible that)

there's every chance (that) (=it is very likely)

some chance

little chance

no chance

a good/fair chance (=something is likely)

a slight/slim/outside chance (=something is unlikely)

a fifty-fifty chance (=the possibility of something happening or not happening is equal)

a million to one chance/a one in a million chance (=something is extremely unlikely to happen)

lessen/minimize/reduce the chance(s) of something (=make it less likely)

increase/improve the chance(s) of something (=make it more likely)

chances are (=it is likely)

WORD CHOICE: chance, chances, luck

chance means possibility : There is a small chance he is still alive. | You've got a good chance of passing.

chance also means opportunity : You will have the chance to meet the star of the show.

chance also means that something happened by coincidence or was not planned : It was pure chance that we bought the same shoes.

Someone's chances are the probability that they will do something : Her chances of finding him after all these years are slim. | He aims to win today - what are his chances?

!! Use chances of doing something, not 'chances to do something' : Your chances of getting (NOT chances to get) a job are as good as anyone's.

luck is when something good happens without being planned : He won more through luck than skill. | It was such luck that you were there to help me!

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chance ²

chance² v

1.) [T]

to do something that you know involves a risk

▪ I wasn't sure if I'd got quite enough petrol to get me home, but I decided to chance it.

▪ We decided not to chance our luck in the storm.

▪ She'd never played before, but she was ready to chance her arm (=take a risk by doing something which may fail) .

chance doing sth

▪ I decided to stay where I was. I couldn't chance being seen.

2.) [i]literary

to happen in a way which is not expected and not planned

chance to do sth

▪ She chanced to be passing when I came out of the house.

▪ It chanced that we both went to Paris that year.

chance on/upon/across / [chance on/upon/across sb/sth] phr v

to find something or meet someone when you are not expecting to

▪ Henry chanced upon some valuable coins in the attic.

chance ³

chance³ adj [only before noun]

not planned or expected

= ↑accidental

chance meeting/encounter/event etc

▪ A chance meeting with a journalist changed everything.

▪ A chance remark by one of his colleagues got him thinking.