Wiktionary

chance

See also: Chance

English

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Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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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.

Noun

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chance (countable and uncountable, plural chances)

  1. (countable) An opportunity or possibility.
    We had the chance to meet the president last week.
  2. (uncountable) Random occurrence; luck.
    Why leave it to chance when a few simple steps will secure the desired outcome?
  3. (countable) The probability of something happening.
    There is a 30 percent chance of rain tomorrow.
  4. (in plural as chances) probability; 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.
    • 1795, Robert Southey, The Soldier's Wife‎[3]:
      Wild-visag'd Wanderer! ah for thy heavy chance!
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Terms derived from the noun chance
Descendants
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  • → Icelandic: séns
  • → Japanese: チャンス
Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Adjective

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chance (not comparable)

  1. Happening by chance, casual.
Translations
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Adverb

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chance (not comparable)

  1. (obsolete) Perchance; perhaps.

Etymology 2

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

Verb

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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.
  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.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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References

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Anagrams

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Danish

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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IPA(key): [ˈɕɑŋsə]

Noun

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chance c (singular definite chancen, plural indefinite chancer)

  1. A chance

Antonyms

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Franco-Provençal

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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

Noun

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chance f (plural chances) (ORB, broad)

  1. chance, luck

Derived terms

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References

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  • chance in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
  • chance in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

Further information

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French

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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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

Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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Descendants

Further reading

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Italian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French chance. Doublet of cadenza.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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chance f (invariable)

  1. chance (possibility of a certain outcome)

Middle English

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Noun

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chance

  1. Alternative form of chaunce

Old French

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Noun

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

  1. Alternative form of cheance

Portuguese

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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  • Hyphenation: chan‧ce

Noun

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chance f (plural chances)

  1. probability
  2. chance, opportunity
    Synonym: oportunidade

References

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  1. ^ “chance”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024
  2. ^ “chance”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2024

Spanish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French chance or, in Mexico, from English chance. Doublet of cadencia.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): (Spain) /ˈt͡ʃanθe/ [ˈt͡ʃãn̟.θe]
  • IPA(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /ˈt͡ʃanse/ [ˈt͡ʃãn.se]
  • Rhymes: -anθe
  • Rhymes: -anse
  • Syllabification: chan‧ce

Noun

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chance m or f same meaning (plural chances)

  1. 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.

Derived terms

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Conjunction

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chance

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

Further reading

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