chance

See also: Chance

English

Alternative forms

chaunce (obsolete)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /t͡ʃæns/
- (US, Canada) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰɛəns], [t͡ʃʰeəns]
  - Audio (US): (file)
- (Northern England, Ireland) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰæns], [t͡ʃʰans]
  - Audio (UK): (file)
- (General Australian) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰæːns], [t͡ʃʰɛːns]
IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɑːns/
- (Received Pronunciation, Cockney) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰɑːns]
  - Audio (Received Pronunciation): (file)
- (Cultivated Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰäːns], [t͡ʃʰɐːns]
- (India) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃɑːns]
Rhymes: -ɑːns, -æns

Etymology 1

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

chance (countable and uncountable, plural chances)

(countable) An opportunity or possibility.
We had the chance to meet the president last week.
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
  Here was my chance. I took the old man aside, and two or three glasses of Old Crow launched him into reminiscence.
- 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.
(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?
(countable) The probability of something happening.
There is a 30 percent chance of rain tomorrow.
(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.
(countable, archaic) What befalls or happens to a person; their lot or fate.
Synonyms: destiny, doom; see also Thesaurus:fate
- 1795, Robert Southey, The Soldier's Wife‎^[3]:
  Wild-visag'd Wanderer! ah for thy heavy chance!

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun chance

Descendants

→ Icelandic: séns
→ Japanese: チャンス

Translations

an opportunity or possibility

Albanian: nge (sq) f, shans m
Arabic: فُرْصَة f (furṣa)
Hijazi Arabic: فُرْصة f (furṣa)
Armenian: հնարավորություն (hy) (hnaravorutʻyun)
Azerbaijani: imkan (az), fürsət (az)
Bashkir: форсат (forsat)
Belarusian: шанс (šans), шанц m (šanc), магчы́масць f (mahčýmascʹ), магчы́масьць f (mahčýmasʹcʹ)
Breton: chañs (br) f
Bulgarian: възмо́жност (bg) f (vǎzmóžnost), шанс (bg) m (šans)
Burmese: အခွင့်အရေး (my) (a.hkwang.a.re:)
Catalan: oportunitat (ca) f
Chinese:
Cantonese: 機會 / 机会 (gei¹ wui⁶)

Eastern Min: 機會 / 机会 (gĭ-huôi)

Hakka: 機會 / 机会 (kî-fi)

Hokkien: 機會 / 机会 (zh-min-nan) (ki-hōe)

Mandarin: 機會 / 机会 (zh) (jīhuì)
Czech: šance (cs) f, příležitost (cs) f
Danish: chance (da) c, mulighed (da) c
Dutch: kans (nl) f, gelegenheid (nl) f, mogelijkheid (nl) f
Esperanto: ŝanco
Estonian: võimalus
Finnish: mahdollisuus (fi)
French: chance (fr) f
Galician: oportunidade (gl) f
Georgian: შესაძლებლობა (šesaʒlebloba), შანსი (ka) (šansi)
German: Gelegenheit (de) f, Möglichkeit (de) f, Chance (de) f
Greek: ευκαιρία (el) f (efkairía), πιθανότητα (el) (pithanótita)
Hebrew: סִיכּוּי m (sikúi), מַזָּל (he) m (mazzál), הִזְדַּמְּנוּת פָּז f (hizdámnúth' paz)
Hindi: अवसर (hi) m (avsar), मौक़ा m (mauqā), चांस (hi) m (cāns), अवकाश (hi) m (avkāś)
Hungarian: alkalom (hu), lehetőség (hu)
Icelandic: tækifæri (is) n
Indonesian: kesempatan
Irish: faill f, seans m, amhantar m
Italian: possibilità (it) f, opportunità (it) f, occasione (it) f, chance (it) f
Japanese: 機会 (ja) (きかい, kikai), チャンス (ja) (chansu), 機 (ja) (き, ki)
Kabuverdianu: txansa, xanse
Kazakh: мүмкіндік (mümkındık)
Khmer: ឱកាស (km) (ʼaokaah)
Korean: 기회(機會) (ko) (gihoe), 찬스 (ko) (chanseu)
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: firset (ku)
Kyrgyz: мүмкүндүк (ky) (mümkündük)
Lao: ໂອກາດ (ʼō kāt)
Latin: opportunitas f, possibilitas f, potestas (la) f, aditus (la) m, occasio (la) f
Latvian: iespēja f
Lithuanian: próga f
Macedonian: шанса (mk) f (šansa), можност f (možnost)
Malay: peluang, kesempatan, cerlak, can (ms)
Malayalam: അവസരം (ml) (avasaraṁ)
Manchu: ᠨᠠᠰᡥᡡᠨ (nashūn)
Middle English: chaunce
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: боломж (mn) (bolomž)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: sjanse (no) m, mulighet (no) m or f
Occitan: oportunitat (oc) f, possibiltat f
Old English: ġegang m
Pashto: فرصت (ps) m (fersat)
Persian:
Dari: فُرْصَت (fa) (fursat)

Iranian Persian: فُرْصَت (fa) (forsat), شانْس (fa) (šâns)
Polish: szansa (pl) f, okazja (pl) f, gratka, możliwość (pl), sposobność (pl)
Portuguese: chance (pt) f
Romanian: șansă (ro) f, șanse (ro) f pl, ocazie (ro) f
Romansch: pussaivladad f (Rumantsch Grischun)
Russian: возмо́жность (ru) f (vozmóžnostʹ), шанс (ru) m (šans)
Scottish Gaelic: cothrom m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ша̏нса f, могу́ћно̄ст f

Roman: šȁnsa (sh) f, mogúćnōst f
Sinhalese: අවස්ථාව (awasthāwa)
Slovak: príležitosť f, šanca f
Slovene: priložnost (sl) f, šansa f
Spanish: oportunidad (es) f, posibilidad (es) f, chance (es) m or f, chanza (es) f, chance m (chans)
Swahili: nafasi (sw)
Swedish: chans (sv) c, möjlighet (sv) c
Tagalog: pagkakataon
Tajik: фурсат (fursat)
Tatar: форсат (tt) (forsat)
Telugu: అవకాశము (te) (avakāśamu)
Thai: โอกาส (th) (oo-gàat)
Turkish: şans (tr), talih (tr), fırsat (tr)
Turkmen: pursat
Ukrainian: шанс m (šans), можли́вість f (možlývistʹ)
Urdu: مَوقَعْ m (mauqa'), فُرْصَت f (fursat)
Uyghur: پۇرسەت (purset)
Uzbek: imkoniyat (uz), fursat (uz)
Vietnamese: cơ hội (vi) (機會)
Volapük: mögod (vo)
West Frisian: kâns c
Zazaki: seğs m, sehud m, fırset m

random occurrence

Armenian: պատահականություն (hy) (patahakanutʻyun), դիպված (hy) (dipvac)
Basque: zori
Bulgarian: случа́йност (bg) f (slučájnost)
Catalan: atzar (ca) m, casualitat (ca) f
Czech: náhoda (cs) f
Danish: mulighed (da) c, tilfældighed c
Dutch: toeval (nl) n
Esperanto: hazardo (eo)
Finnish: sattuma (fi)
French: raccroc (fr) m, hasard (fr) m
Georgian: შემთხვევა (šemtxveva)
German: Zufall (de) m
Greek: τύχη (el) f (týchi), σύμπτωση (el) f (sýmptosi), περίσταση (el) f (perístasi), συγκυρία (el) f (sygkyría)
Hebrew: מִקְרֶה (he) m (mikré), צֵרוּף מִקְרִים m (zeruf mikriem)
Hungarian: véletlen (hu)
Irish: seans m
Italian: caso (it) m
Kabuverdianu: txansa, xansa
Khmer: គ្រោះ (km) (krŭəh)
Korean: 우연(偶然) (ko) (uyeon)
Latin: temeritās f, accidentia f, fors f
Middle English: chaunce
Norwegian:
Bokmål: mulighet (no) m or f, tilfeldigheter m pl
Occitan: escasença (oc) f
Old English: ġegang m
Ottoman Turkish: بخت (baht)
Portuguese: acaso (pt)
Romanian: întâmplare (ro) f, accident (ro) n
Russian: случа́йность (ru) f (slučájnostʹ)
Spanish: azar (es) m, suerte (es) f, casualidad (es) f
Swedish: slump (sv) c
Turkish: şans (tr), fırsat (tr), kaza (tr)

probability of something happening

Armenian: հավանականություն (hy) (havanakanutʻyun)
Belarusian: вераго́днасць f (vjerahódnascʹ), вераго́днасьць f (vjerahódnasʹcʹ), імаве́рнасць f (imavjérnascʹ), імаве́рнасьць f (imavjérnasʹcʹ), магчы́масць f (mahčýmascʹ), магчы́масьць f (mahčýmasʹcʹ), шанс (šans), шанц m (šanc)
Bulgarian: вероя́тност (bg) f (verojátnost), възмо́жност (bg) f (vǎzmóžnost), шанс (bg) m (šans)
Catalan: probabilitat f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 幾率 / 几率 (zh) (jīlǜ), 概率 (zh) (gàilǜ), 可能性 (zh) (kěnéngxìng)
Czech: šance (cs) f, pravděpodobnost (cs) f
Danish: chance (da) c, sandsynlighed c
Dutch: kans (nl) f
Finnish: mahdollisuus (fi), todennäköisyys (fi)
French: (beneficial) chance (fr) f, (detrimental, risky) risque (fr) m
Georgian: შემთხვევითობა (šemtxvevitoba)
German: Wahrscheinlichkeit (de) f
Greek: πιθανότητα (el) f (pithanótita), ενδεχόμενο (el) n (endechómeno)
Hindi: सम्भावना (hi) f (sambhāvnā), प्रायिकता f (prāyiktā)
Hungarian: valószínűség (hu), eshetőség (hu), esély (hu)
Icelandic: líkindi (is) n pl, líkur (is) f pl
Irish: seans m
Italian: probabilità (it) f
Japanese: 確率 (ja) (かくりつ, kakuritsu), 可能性 (ja) (かのうせい, kanōsei)
Kabuverdianu: txansa, xanse
Korean: 확률(確率) (ko) (hwangnyul), 가능성(可能性) (ko) (ganeungseong)
Latin: accidentia, accidentia, probabilitas, fors f
Macedonian: веројатност f (verojatnost)
Malayalam: സാധ്യത (ml) (sādhyata)
Maori: tūponotanga
Norwegian:
Bokmål: sjanse (no) m, sannsynlighet (no) m
Polish: prawdopodobieństwo (pl) n
Portuguese: probabilidade (pt), hipótese (pt)
Romanian: probabilitate (ro) f
Russian: вероя́тность (ru) f (verojátnostʹ), шанс (ru) m (šans), возмо́жность (ru) f (vozmóžnostʹ)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: вероја́тно̄ст f, вјероја́тно̄ст f, могу́ћно̄ст f, ша̏нса f

Roman: verojátnōst f, vjerojátnōst (sh) f, mogúćnōst f, šȁnsa (sh) f
Slovak: pravdepodobnosť (sk) f
Slovene: verjetnost f
Spanish: probabilidad (es) f
Swedish: chans (sv) c, sannolikhet (sv) c
Turkish: şans (tr), ihtimal (tr), olanak (tr)
Ukrainian: імові́рність f (imovírnistʹ), можли́вість f (možlývistʹ), шанс m (šans)

lot or fate

Bulgarian: шанс (bg) m (šans)
German: Los (de) n, Schicksal (de) n
Middle English: chaunce
Ottoman Turkish: بخت (baht)
Spanish: albur (es) m
Turkish: talih (tr), baht (tr), kader (tr), kısmet (tr)
Zazaki: beğt c, qeder m

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

Georgian: ^{(please verify)} შემთხვევა (šemtxveva)

Adjective

chance (not comparable)

Happening by chance, casual.
- 1859, Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC:
  No crowd was about the door; no people were discernible at any of the many windows; not even a chance passer-by was in the street. An unnatural silence and desertion reigned there.
- 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, chapter II, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:
  Heaven knows what pains the author has been at, what bitter experiences he has endured and what heartache suffered, to give some chance reader a few hours' relaxation or to while away the tedium of a journey.

Translations

happening by chance

Bashkir: осраҡлы (osraqlı)
Bulgarian: случаен (bg) (slučaen)
Danish: tilfældigvis c
German: zufällig (de)
Hungarian: véletlen (hu), kósza (hu), arra vetődött
Latin: fortuītus (la)
Swedish: tillfällig (sv), oförutsedd (sv), opåräknad, förlupen (sv), slumpartad (sv), händelsevis (sv) påträffad

Adverb

chance (not comparable)

(obsolete) Perchance; perhaps.

Etymology 2

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

Verb

chance (third-person singular simple present chances, present participle chancing, simple past and past participle chanced)

(archaic, intransitive) To happen by chance, to occur.
It chanced that I found a solution the very next day.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 22:6:
  if a bird's nest chance to be before thee
- 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."
(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 […]
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.
To discover something by chance.
He chanced upon a kindly stranger who showed him the way.
- c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
  I chanced on this letter.
(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.
(Nigeria) To take an opportunity from someone; to cut a queue.

Synonyms

(to happen) come to pass, occur, transpire; See also Thesaurus:happen
(to happen to)
(to try) test
(to discover something) come across, come on, come upon, encounter, stumble upon
(to cheat someone) deceive, fool, trick; See also Thesaurus:deceive

Derived terms

Translations

to try or risk

Bulgarian: рискувам (bg) (riskuvam)
Catalan: arriscar-se (ca)
Danish: ta chancen, risikere (da)
Dutch: wagen (nl)
Esperanto: hazardi
Finnish: ottaa riski
German: riskieren (de), wagen (de)
Hungarian: megkockáztat (hu)
Romanian: risca (ro)
Swahili: nafasi (sw)
Swedish: chansa (sv), riskera (sv)
Turkish: riske etmek

to discover by chance

Bulgarian: попадам на (popadam na)
Czech: narazit (cs)
Danish: støde på (ved en tilfældighed)
Finnish: löytää sattumalta, kohdata sattumalta, tavata sattumalta
Hungarian: rábukkan (hu), ráakad (hu), belebotlik (hu)
Maori: tūpono, matawhaia
Swahili: nafasi (sw)
Swedish: råka (sv)

References

“chance”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “chance”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

chacne, canche, Canche

Danish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈɕɑŋsə]

Noun

chance c (singular definite chancen, plural indefinite chancer)

A chance

Antonyms

risiko

Franco-Provençal

Alternative forms

chonse, chanse, sha͟nche, sha͟ncha (Bressan)
tsanthe (Fribourgeois)

Etymology

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

Noun

chance f (plural chances) (ORB, broad)

chance, luck

Derived terms

chanciox

References

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

Further information

Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “cadĕre”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 2: C Q K, page 27

French

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʃɑ̃s/
Audio (France): (file)
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -ɑ̃s

Noun

chance f (plural chances)

chance
Il y a des fortes chances que vos neurones fonctionnent bien
There's every chance your neurons are working well
luck

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

choir

Descendants

→ Breton: chañs
→ Bulgarian: шанс (šans)
→ Czech: šance
→ Danish: chance
→ Dutch: sjans
→ Franco-Provençal: chance
→ German: Chance
→ Esperanto: ŝanco
→ Estonian: šanss
→ Persian: شانس (šâns)
→ Irish: seans
→ Ido: chanco
→ Italian: chance
→ Norwegian: sjanse
→ Polish: szansa
→ Portuguese: chance
→ Luxembourgish: kans
→ Romanian: șansă
→ Russian: шанс (šans)
→ Serbo‐Croatian: šansa, шанса
→ Spanish: chance
→ Swedish: chans, chansa
→ Turkish: şans

Italian

Alternative forms

scians

Etymology

Borrowed from French chance. Doublet of cadenza.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): ^*/ˈʃans/
Rhymes: -ans

Noun

chance f (invariable)

chance (possibility of a certain outcome)

Middle English

Noun

chance

Alternative form of chaunce

Old French

Noun

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

Alternative form of cheance

Portuguese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʃɐ̃.si/
- (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʃɐ̃.se/

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʃɐ̃.sɨ/
- (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃɐ̃.sɨ/

Hyphenation: chan‧ce

Noun

chance f (plural chances)

probability
chance, opportunity
Synonym: oportunidade

References

^ “chance”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
^ “chance”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Spanish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Noun

chance m or f same meaning (plural chances)

chance
(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

dar chance

Conjunction

chance

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

chance

English

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Adjective

Translations

Adverb

Etymology 2

Verb

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

References

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Antonyms

Franco-Provençal

Alternative forms

Etymology

Noun

Derived terms

References

Further information

French

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

Further reading

Italian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Middle English

Noun

Old French

Noun

Portuguese

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

References

Spanish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Conjunction

Further reading