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chance

n. C / U
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈtʃæns// UK //tʃˈɑːns// chance Archaic General-service

n. the possibility of something happening, or an opportunity to do something you want. You use it when you talk about luck or things that are not planned.

n. the possibility of a particular outcome occurring, or an opportunity to achieve a specific goal. Often used to describe the absence of design or predictable cause in an event.


SIMPLE

There is a good chance that it will rain today.

CONTEXTUAL

This internship is a great chance for you to gain experience in the fashion industry.

COMPLEX

While the mathematical chance of failure was low, the engineers refused to proceed until every redundant system had been tested under extreme pressure.

Synonyms
Usage

Often used with the preposition 'of' followed by a gerund or noun, or with 'to' followed by an infinitive.

Pitfall

I have a chance for winningI have a chance of winningWhen expressing probability, use 'chance of' followed by a gerund; 'chance to' is used for opportunity.

Idioms18 entries

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