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Chance
Definitions
- 1 Happening by chance, casual. not-comparable
"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."
- 1 occurring or appearing or singled out by chance wordnet
- 1 Perchance; perhaps. not-comparable, obsolete
- 1 An unincorporated community in Adair County, Kentucky, United States. countable, uncountable
- 2 A census-designated place in Somerset County, Maryland, United States. countable, uncountable
- 3 A census-designated place in Adair County, Oklahoma, United States. countable, uncountable
- 4 An unincorporated community in Perkins County, South Dakota, United States. countable, uncountable
- 5 An unincorporated community in Essex County, Virginia, United States. countable, uncountable
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- 6 A male given name from English, an American pet form of Chauncey, in modern usage also associated with the word chance. countable, uncountable
- 7 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 1 An opportunity or possibility. countable
"We had the chance to meet the president last week: we have a good/strong chance of making / to make a profit."
- 2 a risk involving danger wordnet
- 3 Random occurrence; luck. uncountable
"Why leave it to chance when a few simple steps will secure the desired outcome?"
- 4 a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible wordnet
- 5 The probability of something happening. countable
"There is a 30 percent chance of rain tomorrow."
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- 6 an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another wordnet
- 7 probability; possibility. countable, plural, uncountable
"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."
- 8 the possibility of future success wordnet
- 9 What befalls or happens to a person; their lot or fate. archaic, countable
"Wild-visag'd Wanderer! ah for thy heavy chance!"
- 10 a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances wordnet
- 1 To happen by chance, to occur. archaic, intransitive
"It chanced that I found a solution the very next day."
- 2 come upon, as if by accident; meet with wordnet
- 3 To befall; to happen to. archaic, transitive
"[…] 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 […]"
- 4 take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome wordnet
- 5 To try or risk.
"Shall we carry the umbrella, or chance a rainstorm?"
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- 6 be the case by chance wordnet
- 7 To discover something by chance.
"He chanced upon a kindly stranger who showed him the way."
- 8 To rob, cheat or swindle someone. Belize
"The car broke down a week after I bought it. I was chanced by that fast-talking salesman."
- 9 To take an opportunity from someone; to cut a queue. Nigeria
Etymology
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.
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.
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.
From Middle English chancen, chauncen, from the noun (see above).
See also for "chance"
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