chance
noun · verb · adjective
Simple meaning
A possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
chansIPA pronunciation (US)
tʃæns
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
The possibility of future success
countable
The probability of something happening.
in plural as chances
Probability; possibility.
countable
An opportunity or possibility.
uncountable
Random occurrence; luck.
verb
Take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
To try or risk.
Be the case by chance
“I chanced to meet my old friend in the street.”
To discover something by chance.
adjective
Happening by chance, casual.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
Used this way, chance is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A variable quantity that is random.
A correlation coefficient calculated between scores on two halves of a test.
An unpremeditated killing of a human being in self defense.
Anything that happens suddenly or by chance without an apparent cause.
Find unexpectedly.
Find unexpectedly.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.