CHANCE

casual, chance

(adjective) occurring or appearing or singled out by chance; “seek help from casual passers-by”; “a casual meeting”; “a chance occurrence”

chance

(noun) a risk involving danger; “you take a chance when you let her drive”

probability, chance

(noun) 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; “the probability that an unbiased coin will fall with the head up is 0.5”; “if that phone call is for me, chances are it’s my wife”

luck, fortune, chance, hazard

(noun) an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another; “bad luck caused his downfall”; “we ran into each other by pure chance”

prospect, chance

(noun) the possibility of future success; “his prospects as a writer are excellent”

opportunity, chance

(noun) a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances; “the holiday gave us the opportunity to visit Washington”; “now is your chance”

find, happen, chance, bump, encounter

(verb) come upon, as if by accident; meet with; “We find this idea in Plato”; “I happened upon the most wonderful bakery not very far from here”; “She chanced upon an interesting book in the bookstore the other day”

gamble, chance, risk, hazard, take chances, adventure, run a risk, take a chance

(verb) take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome; “When you buy these stocks you are gambling”

chance

(verb) be the case by chance; “I chanced to meet my old friend in the street”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Proper noun

Chance

A male given name from English, an American pet form of Chauncey, in modern usage also associated with the word chance.

Etymology 1

Noun

chance (countable and uncountable, plural chances)

(countable) An opportunity or possibility.

(uncountable) Random occurrence; luck.

(countable) The probability of something happening.

(countable, archaic) What befalls or happens to a person; their lot or fate.

Synonyms

• (random occurrence): fortune, hap; see also luck

Adjective

chance (not comparable)

Happening by chance, casual.

Adverb

chance (not comparable)

(obsolete) Perchance; perhaps.

Etymology 2

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.

(archaic, transitive) To befall; to happen to.

To try or risk.

To discover something by chance.

(Belize) To rob, cheat or swindle someone.

Synonyms

• (to happen) come to pass, occur, transpire; See also 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 deceive

Source: Wiktionary

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Chance, n. Etym: [F. chance, OF. cheance, fr. LL. cadentia a allusion to the falling of the dice), fr. L. cadere to fall; akin to Skr. çad to fall, L. cedere to yield, E. cede. Cf. Cadence.]

1. A supposed material or psychical agent or mode of activity other than a force, law, or purpose; fortune; fate; -- in this sense often personifed. It is strictly and philosophically true in nature and reason that there is no such thing as chance or accident; it being evident that these words do not signify anything really existing, anything that is truly an agent or the cause of any event; but they signify merely men's ignorance of the real and immediate cause. Samuel Clark. Any society into which chance might throw him. Macaulay. That power Which erring men call Chance. Milton.

2. The operation or activity of such agent. By chance a priest came down that way. Luke x. 31.

3. The supposed effect of such an agent; something that befalls, as the result of unknown or unconsidered forces; the issue of uncertain conditions; an event not calculated upon; an unexpected occurrence; a happening; accident; fortuity; casualty. It was a chance that happened to us. 1 Sam. vi. 9. The Knave of Diamonds tries his wily arts, And wins (O shameful chance!) the Queen of Hearts. Pope. I spake of most disastrous chance. Shak.

4. A possibity; a likelihood; an opportunity; -- with reference to a doubtful result; as, a chance result; as, a chance to escape; a chance for life; the chances are all against him. So weary with disasters, tugged with fortune. That I would get my life on any chance, To mend it, or be rid on't Shak.

5. (Math.)

Definition: Probability.

Note: The mathematical expression, of a chance is the ratio of frequency with which an event happens in the long run. If an event may happen in a ways and may fail in b ways, and each of these a + b ways is equally likely, the chance, or probability, that the event will happen is measured by the fraction a/(a + b), and the chance, or probability, that it will fail is measured by b/(a + b). Chance comer, one who, comes unexpectedly.

– The last chance, the sole remaining ground of hope.

– The main chance, the chief opportunity; that upon which reliance is had, esp. self-interest.

– Theory of chances, Doctrine of chances (Math.), that branch of mathematics which treats of the probability of the occurrence of particular events, as the fall of dice in given positions.

– To mind one's chances, to take advantage of every circumstance; to seize every opportunity.

Chance, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Chanced; p. pr. & vb. n. Chancing.]

Definition: To happen, come, or arrive, without design or expectation. "Things that chance daily." Robynson (More's Utopia). If a bird's nest chance to be before thee. Deut. xxii. 6. I chanced on this letter. Shak.

Note: Often used impersonally; as, how chances it How chance, thou art returned so soon Shak.

Chance, v. t.

1. To take the chances of; to venture upon; -- usually with it as object. Come what will, I will chance it. W. D. Howells.

2. To befall; to happen to. [Obs.] W. Lambarde.

Chance, a.

Definition: Happening by chance; casual.

Chance, adv.

Definition: By chance; perchance. Gray.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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