noun
chance
CHAHNS
noun
1
An opportunity to do something.
"This internship is her chance to break into the industry."
"Give him a chance to explain what happened."
2
The likelihood of something happening; probability.
"There's a good chance it will rain later."
3
Something that happens randomly, without any apparent cause or plan.
"We met purely by chance at the airport."
verb
1
To risk doing something, accepting that it might go wrong.
"They decided to chance it and drive through the storm."
2
To happen to do or encounter something without planning it.
"I chanced upon an old photograph while cleaning the attic."
How to Use Chance
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn opportunity, the odds of something happening, or something that occurs randomly.
Common mistake
To "chance it" means to take a risk, not to plan carefully — it implies leaving the outcome to luck.
Common pairings
take a chance
by chance
chance of rain
chance upon
Word Forms
chanced past tense, chances plural, Chances plural, chances singular
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This internship is her _____ to break into the industry.
Etymology
From Old French cheance ("luck, accident"), from Vulgar Latin cadentia ("a falling"), from Latin cadere ("to fall" or "to happen") — the same root behind "cadence."